


Escaping the Fourth Night

by Lucy112235



Series: The Kids Aren’t Alright [3]
Category: Escape the Night (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Angst™, Crying, Death, Eli - Freeform, Friendship, Gabex, Gabex Shipping™, I guess we're doing this again, I wanted to put more s2 guys but you guys insisted on s3 sooooo only Liza is there, Matt and Tim are a bromance, Mrs, Multi, Murder Mystery, Reunions, Slow Burn, Some fluff sometimes, Super angsty, The Season 1 guys are back, The Survivor Squad, a bunch of people I killed in my fics are back, a lot of crying, but also seperation, but still super shipping, different death order, fLuFf™, i am very sorry in advance, if you get attached to a relationship one of them will die, like the most angsty, some hints of other ships, the angstiest of all the angst, twice for emphasis, your fave will probably die
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-05
Updated: 2019-12-21
Packaged: 2020-09-29 22:15:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 21,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20443433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucy112235/pseuds/Lucy112235
Summary: Oli, Eva, Alex, Gabbie, MatPat, and Safiya have lost their friends again and again.This time, they're going to get them back.





	1. A Mission Split In Two

**Author's Note:**

> A third installment! Because why not!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Um... here you go, the one person who wanted this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my computer is broken so that’s f u n

At first, Gabbie would have rather spend an entire  _ day  _ eating carbs than going on another mission. Her first instinct was to scream a bunch of nasty obscenities, hang up, block Joey’s number, and then throw her phone into the fireplace. She would have rather gone to hell than gone on another Joey Graceffa excursion.

At first.

But now, here she was, standing in the middle of god knows where with her fellow survivors, waiting for Joey to show up, shivering in the cold.

Oli managed to convince her to go, because he was usually the rational one and made a lot of sense. And besides, Gabbie could never live with herself if she just let her friends… what? Were they in hell?

No. They were all too nice. They were good, honest people, who she needed to save even if there was a chance she would  _ die. _

Oli told them all about death- it’s strange, like blinding pain and wanting to die and she guessed maybe that was the irony of it, and then waking up in a dark, desolate place that can only be described as the world between worlds. A church. Jael and Ryu.

Speaking of which, however cool joining the SAE was (at least the outfit was cute), their, well, instructors were really kinda weird. Matt had made a joke once that they puke magic, and true, it was really weird, but never mind that.

It was strange that Joey had waited a  _ whole year  _ to contact them, because a lot can happen in one year. Mourning and funerals and some sort of twisted healing. Pushing down feelings that  _ clearly  _ shouldn't have been there, but still were, regardless of logic and what she had said a million times and the fact that she pushed away both him and her feelings for reasons beyond her control, but it’s fine. They were there now. One last death mission to snap her out of her daze and then Alex would be happy with whoever it is. Maybe Lauren.

Now, she stood there, shivering in her small SAE outfit while Alex, Oli, and MatPat were all fine in their long pants and jackets in various shades of brown and black maroon. Gabbie, though, was in a shirt with sleeves cut at the elbows and a skirt no longer than her knees, in a shade of deep chocolate brown with violet highlights, maybe an omáge to her earlier outfits of purple and violet. It’s a weird color combination, but it works. Her hair was in its normal multicolored waves instead of the previous’ event’s curled locks. She was wearing heeled boots, like  _ those  _ were great to run in. Better than heels, anyway.

Eva was wearing a similar outfit, but with coral pink accents instead of violet and her main color a copper color instead of chocolate brown. Her hair was let down in its natural long brown style. Saf, on the other hand, wore cuffed maroon pants and an aviator jacket with a tint of red, as if to replicate her previous outfit. The two were chatting quietly, waiting for Joey to arrive, and at that point, there were all getting antsy before Joey arrived in a thick Cotton turtleneck and a brown leather jacket, glasses upon his nose and a happy gleam to his eyes.

“You guys got what I asked for?” he breathed, smiling, after they all greeted him. A beam of happiness emitted from his face, almost relief and giddiness clouding his usually forsaken expression.

Matt was the first to answer, grinning at the glad Savant. “Yeah. What took you so long?”

“Um, guys?” Saf piped up. “There’s been a bit of a complication…”

“What?” Oli asked, raising an eyebrow.

The answer came in Bretman Rock, a young YouTuber in golden and grey attire, a mischievous smirk on his naive face, a baseball bat clutched in his hand. “I’m here!” he shouted, his overly complicated green necklace jingling as he skipped next to Saf.

“Saf, I told you not to invite anyone!” Joey remarked. “This is going to be dangerous!”

“He wouldn’t let me say no,” Safiya explained. “He heard Alex was coming and used it as an excuse because there would be, and I quote, ‘cute boys’.”

Alex turned bright red and Eva snickered behind her hands. Gabbie let out a snort at the young beauty guru’s words. 

Bretman shrugged. “I’m a woman of my word.”

Gabbie, however entertained by Bretman and everything about him, was worried sick for the boy. He didn’t know what they knew. He thought this was just a way to hang out with friends and maybe get a boyfriend. He hadn’t been through death challenges and voting and losing friend after friend. It was too late to send him back, so the social media star was going to have a rude awakening.

Jael and Ryu arrived last, sporting their usual outfits, which, strangely, seem to never change.

“You ready?” asked Jael.

“Okay,” Joey took hold of their inventory, which was the crown of oblivion (god, she hated that crown, even if it looked amazing), the crystal that Joey seemed to be in love with, and what she assumed to be the cursed artifacts, which looked nothing like Oli and Eva’s descriptions of them. “Now that we’re all here, let’s do this thing.”

Jael pulled up a large map and propped it up on the rock. They all crowded around her. “This is where your friends are being kept,” she explained. “To enter the Museum of the Dead, we need to make a gateway to purgatory. The crown generates the power, the cursed artifacts have an apevil to cut through the barrier, and the life crystal allows entry without dying.”

“And the crown won’t last very long,” Ryu reminded them, and it was one of the first times Gabbie had ever heard him speak full sentences.

Jael pointed to a spot on the map. “Joey, you’re going to be here. You take Bretman, Safiya, Alex, and Eva to where your friends are. I’ll take the rest through the roof. The museum’s collector should be avoided at all costs.”

There was a cutting edge to her last few words that sent shivers down her already freezing arms, because the SAE had to be sexist and give her the tiniest outfit possible while the guys get thick jackets and long pants.

“And what about me?” Matt piped up, a hint of worry in his voice. “I did cancel my livestream for this.”

“You’ll be with me,” Jael responded with a slight smile. “Baby steps.”

There was almost pity in her voice, but Matt was pretty capable and hella smart, so Gabbie wasn’t quite sure why. But no matter, as with their plan somewhat explained, Jael and Ryu started to “puke magic”, orange beams springing from their mouths, and a blue portal opened between two trees.

“Go!” Oli shouted, worry clouding his British accent. “Run!”

Joey and Bretman rushed through, and Eva was right behind them. Alex turned back to Gabbie and gave her a small smile.

“The crown is breaking!” shouted Ryu.

She urgently mouthed Alex “good luck” and gave him a thumbs up. After a couple more seconds of yelling, he ran after his friends, but just as Safiya was about to go, the portal vanished, causing the girl to fall flat on her face. Gabbie’s thoughts stormed her brain. Alex and Eva and Bretman and Joey were all in danger. Her friends, maybe dead, in a place  _ for  _ the dead. Joey and Bretman and Eva and  _ Alex... _

“Saf! Are you okay?” Matt pulled her up. 

She held a hand to her face and nodded. “Why’d the portal disappear?”   
  
  


Alex looked behind him, and the portal was gone.  _ What the heck? I thought it was supposed to last longer! _

Bretman, being the newbie, fretted with his coat collar. “What happened?”

“I don’t know,” Joey worried. His eyes darted back and forth. Matt and Safiya and Oli and Gabbie crossed Alex’s mind and he prayed they’d be all right. He missed them already.

“Wasn’t it supposed to stay open?” Eva turned to Joey.

“Um, yeah,” he responded weakly.

“Let’s just keep going,” Alex suggested, a confident expression masking his fear. 

“Where are we even going?” Bretman fretted as the group tiptoed along a path, lying low, until they came upon a magnificent building which was, unmistakably, the Museum of the Dead. The group crouched as they saw the doors open, revealing a woman-like creature that could only be the Collector, followed by guards and what looked to be Medusa.

“That’s the collector,” Joey whispered to the newcomer, and by Bretman’s face, Alex could tell he had no idea who Joey was referring to.

The guards lined up in front of the Collector. “I am leaving on a mission to find pieces for my new exhibit,” her accent pierces Alex’s ears like a spear. “Keep careful watch!”

The Gorgon put a necklace around one of the guards’ necks, and the Collector summoned a portal that Alex could vaguely see have “Town of Everlock” peeking through it. He shuddered.  _ Nothing  _ was good about whatever lived in that town. Besides the innocent people. 

The Collector and the Gorgon departed through the portal, and the guards dispersed. “Here’s our chance,” Joey whispered.   
  
  


Eventually, the group came upon a small clearing surrounded by lots of vines. Joey led the way and pulled the vines back to reveal something unlike anything Eva has ever seen.

Bretman gasped. “What  _ is  _ this?”

It was her friends. Eight of them, eight friends she had lost and missed and mourned, in different poses and in different outfits than what they died in. The four crept closer, and the people became clearer and more horrifying as they stood eerily still, like they were mannequins or something.

“Omigod,” Joey sounded shocked. “Omigod. They’re here.”

“Guys, I’m scared,” Bretman whimpered.

Eva’s eyes fell on Rosanna Pansino, the small girl in a large fur coat and small polka-dotted black dress, labeled  _ The Socialite  _ even though she died as the Jetsetter. The girl still radiated kindness and warmth, even in a cage.

Next, she noticed Liza Koshy, now in a grey jacket and boots and pants similar in color to the ones she wore when she died, now labeled as  _ the Adventurer.  _ She wa still smiling. 

Then she noticed Timothy DeLaGhetto. The man was in a colorful jacket, red handkerchief, and dark pants, which he shouldn’t have been able to pull off, but he did. His death looped below  _ The Con Man,  _ reminding her of his sacrifice for her to live. She winced.

After, her eyes fell upon Matt Haag, now in a cap and dark blue coat, labeled as  _ The Enforcer.  _ She winced again. Maybe she shouldn’t have been so hard on him. Maybe she made a mistake. He didn’t deserve to die.

Finally, Eva’s eyes shot upon Lele Pons. The girl had her hands on her hips, a smug expression on her bold face, now in a feathered pink dress with jewels in sequins galore, with the title as  _ The Hollywood Star.  _ She wasn’t moving, and that was the hardest part, seeing her old best friend not showing her signature fierceness. Her fire. Her death played in replay, and a tear welled up in Eva’s eyes.  _ God,  _ she had missed her. She  _ had  _ to get her back.

“What do we do?” Alex asked.

“Sis, I don’t… know…” murmured Bretman.

Roi Fabito, Nikita Dragun, and Colleen Ballinger were all there too, sporting their roles as  _ The Aviator, The Pin-Up Girl,  _ and  _ The Duchess  _ respectively. Alex hand fell upon Roi’s glass prison.

“Guys,” Joey breathed. Eva turned around to see him holding a freaking  _ axe.  _ “I’m going to try something, okay?”

“Joey…”

He didn’t waste any time. With a scream and a swing, a barrier crashed, and golden lighting flashed throughout the museum.

And soon, one by one, the cases shatter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hooray! It is here!
> 
> Next chapter: Reunions! Reunions everywhere! Also, Eva relieves some regret, Alex makes a new friend, and two people rehash their feud.


	2. Reuniting with the Dead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter before it all goes haywire.

First was Matt. Then Tim. After was Lele. Followed by Liza, Roi, Nikita, Colleen, and Rosanna. One by one, their glass cases shattered, each striking a different pose. Lele covered her face, Nikita let out a piercing shriek, and Ro looked around in bewilderment. All his friends. Here and alive- maybe? Were they dead? Whatever. Didn’t matter.

Because  _ Roi  _ was there. Roi, his oldest friend, whose light Alex let these nightmares snuff out. Not again.  _ Never  _ again. He would keep him alive if it was the last thing he ever did.

So Alex ran to Roi, throwing his arms around him, and squeezed him tight. He smelled of dust and dirt, just like he always did, and god, Alex could have cried as he hugged that boy. He didn’t. Roi, still completely shocked and confused, only took a minute to hug him back. 

After a minute, they pulled apart, Roi’s Aviator glasses failing to capture his wild hair. The younger boy had a wide grin on his face, because he always did, and Alex had never loved it more.

Eva couldn’t believe it.

She was here. Lele was  _ here,  _ her best friend who she couldn’t save a million years ago. Her lost companion who she let die in favor of Oli. Lele, the girl with the wild spirit and fierce loyalty was  _ here,  _ right here, standing just a few feet away from Eva.

Joey was hugging Colleen as Lele looked around in bewilderment. Eva ran to her.

“Eva?” She whispered. “What’s going-”

She didn’t waste any time as she threw her arms around the blonde, burying her face in her velvet dress. Lele took a deep breath and squeezed her tight, and Eva’s memory flooded of three years ago when she saved Lele from the Ungodly Machine. She had missed her. She had missed her  _ so much.  _ Out of everyone’s deaths (excluding Oli’s), Lele’s definitely hit her the hardest. She let her die. Never again.

The reunion was cut short by a painfully familiar voice.

“You,” Nikita seethed. The girl’s eyes glared from Joey to Alex to Eva. “You bitches  _ killed  _ me.”

“He killed us  _ all,”  _ said Matt, narrowing his eyes at Joey after having a quick reunion with Tim. “Why, Joey?”

“But not like  _ me!”  _ Nikita practically screamed. “They shoved me in a fucking murder box! Because I had common sense!”

“Nikita?” Bretman ran to her. “What are you talking about?” 

“Alex and Joey and whatever her fucking name is shoved me into a box filled with spikes and guts and messed up shit! They  _ murdered  _ me!”

Bretman’s eyes widened. “Alex, what the  _ hell?  _ Is that true?”

Eva spoke up. Guilt plagued her mind. Nikita… she didn’t deserve this, even if she said bad stuff. No one deserved this. “Yeah. It’s true,” she graced herself. “And I’m so,  _ so  _ sorry, Nikita. I wasn’t thinking clearly. I was just trying to protect Alex.”

Nikita looked as if she was about to punch the girl. “You  _ murdered  _ me. You fucking  _ murdered  _ me. And if you think some shit apology because you’re sorry and shit is gonna make me bow to your feet, you’ve got another thing coming.”

Lele glared at Matt and made a spectacle long enough to distract Nikita. “Out of all the people who I was stuck with, it’s  _ you.  _ Seriously, Matt? Why can’t you just die?”

He glared back at her. “Don’t act like such a saint. I’m not too happy about this either.”

Tim stepped between them. “Ok, I felt with your guys’ arguing last time. I will not hesitate to ship Mele if you guys don’t shut up.”

“I make no promises,” Lele muttered.

Eva and Alex walked over to the three, now just seeing Matt and Tim. “Um, hi,” she awkwardly waved. “Matt, uh, sorry I Was kind of a jerk to you. Tim, uh, thanks? For letting me live? Not that I wanted you to die! But… y’know.”

Matt begrudgingly nodded and Tim smiled. “Nice to see you. Where’s Oli? Is he here?”

Eva glanced back on instinct, but of course he wasn’t there. “He’s… back. Back with the others.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Lele narrowed her eyes and inspected Eva’s hand. “Is this a  _ wedding  _ ring?”

“Why is that the first thing everyone notices about me?” Eva sighed. “Yes. It is. Long story short, Oli and I are married. The shock will wear off.”

_ “What?”  _ said Matt and Lele in unison.

“I knew it!” Tim shouted. Everyone looked at him and he shrugged.

“Um, hi,” said Alex, holding out his hand. “Tim, right?”

The short nodded. “Yep. Um… glad you’re not dead?”

“Uh, thanks.”

“Um, you guys?” peeped Rosanna, who was almost hiding behind her large fur coat. “If Oli is there, where are Matt and Saf? Are they okay?”

“They’re okay,” Alex said gently. “They’re with Oli and Gabbie.”

“Gabbie’s there?” Colleen asked. “Well, thank god she’s alive, I guess.”

“Okay, but I still got  _ murdered!”  _ said Nikita. “They killed me! I don’t  _ care  _ who died and where and what! You killed me!”

“Wait, you died?” Lele pointed to Nikita. “And you died, and you, and you, and you, and you?”

Roi nodded. “We went to his party.”

“We went to this ball,” Liza shivered.

“Ok, guys!” Joey shouted. “We’re here to rescue you guys!”

“You killed us!” Colleen said, flinging her arms about. They’ve spent ten minutes arguing and getting nothing done.

“We need to go!” Eva reasoned. “We’re trying to save you all! You need to follow us!”

“Then where are we going?” said Lele as Joey began to lead them towards one of the entrances. Suddenly, about five huge guards appeared, just like the ones from earlier. They had glowing eyes and several people let out shrieks. 

_ Not another monster. I can’t deal with that.  _ Please,  _ not another monster. _

“These are the collector’s guards!” Joey shouted. “I need you guys to follow me and  _ run!” _

They did just that, trying to sprint, but of course Eva’s outfit wasn’t functional at all, so she, Rosanna, Colleen, and somehow Roi had been captured. A guard pinned her arms behind her back and despite her efforts to be free, he was too strong.

_ Is this where I die? _

They were sprinting down the hallway, screaming like little toddlers, but as soon as they stopped, Alex realized some people were missing.

Colleen and Rosanna were nice and all, but  _ Roi  _ and  _ Eva? _

_ Are they okay? _

Yeah. They’d be fine. They were just captured. It was okay.

Joey was leading the way like some tour guide of death as they rounded the corner and found a room with very strange objects- frightening ones, nonetheless. Dinosaurs and knights that looked like, even though they were inanimate, that they could maul you and split you in half. Alex would’ve killed to have Oli or Eva or Roi or  _ Gabbie  _ in the room then. He missed them so much. Especially her.

Rosanna screamed. Joey let out a “What-The-”. Alex shuddered.

“Oh no!” Lele put up her hands. “Hell to the no.”

They continued walking down the hallway. Liza began questioning Joey.

“Joey, what is this place?” the girl seemed very different from how Alex remembered her when she was alive. Maybe it was death and all. “Is the Collector-”

Liza froze, paralyzed, and so did Joey and Eva. Alex looked forward, and there was the actual sorceress, the person who nearly murdered him and murdered seven of his dearest friends. 

_ She killed Tyler. And Lauren.  _ Their names washed a wave of sadness over him. 

“Look what the cat dragged in,” the Sorceress snarled with a sickening grin. They all retreat back. Colleen, Rosanna, Lele, Tim, and Matt all looked equally confused.

“Who is she?” Matt asked. “What is she-“

“Last time we  _ killed each other!”  _ The Sorceress screamed, pulling out a dagger. Alex stumbled back. “Shall we do it again?”

_ No. Not ever. _

He had a feeling this mission wasn’t going to go according to plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh well, we’ll let them have their one moment where they’re not dead.
> 
> Next chapter: Voting time, again. Someone dies. I’m sorry.


	3. Another Night, Another Victim

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone dies. Please forgive me.

Eva was captured, because of course she was.

After three nights in very dysfunctional outfits (but still more functional than Gabbie’s), she should’ve learned her lesson. But no. Here she was, sitting in the lounge, tied up with Lele and Rosanna, because it was freaking impossible to run in heeled boots.

Lele was surprisingly silent, an almost distant look on her face. The girl had been acting strange- Eva brushed against her arm once and she looked like she had a minor seizure. Like a porcelain doll- any impact caused her to shake and shatter. Probably from her death. Eva winced.

Rosanna was very quiet, deep in thought in her huge fur coat.

Eva’s mind wandered to Oli and Gabbie and Matt and Saf. What were they doing? Just waiting? Were they on a mission too?

_ Are they dead? _

No. They _ couldn’t _be. They were just waiting at the portal.

God, it had only been an hour and she missed them so much. At least they were safe. But she couldn’t help but worry.

She wished she was back home. She wished she didn’t have to go on another death mission. She wished her friends didn’t have to die.

All Eva needed to do was get Alex and Lele out alive. Ro and Colleen and Tim were all great, but those two were her priority. She could _ not _let them die. Again.

They headed back to the lounge, where the other group was also heading. Bretman pulled aside the curtain, letting out a small gasp, and Aled feared the worst.

_ Is it a dead body or something? _

It wasn't, thank god. It _ was, _though, Eva, Rosanna, and Lele tied up, Eva and Rosanna on the couch with Lele on a chair. Alex let out a sigh of relief.

_ They’re safe. They’re actually safe. _He was especially worried for Eva before, but she was ok now, so everything was ok. It was fine.

“Can you untie us?” said Rosanna. Roi was quick to untie her binds while Tim untied Lele and Alex untied Eva. She breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at him. Alex thought of Oli and smiled back.

“Guys!”

Alex turned around, and Matt, Nikita, Colleen, Liza, Roi, and Joey were walking towards them. Joey held the other twin Sphinx tightly in his hand.

“We got it!”

“Yeah!”

“We killed somebody!” Nikita plopped down on the couch.

“You _ killed _somebody?” asked Tim, in shock.

“Well, the _ Sorceress _killed somebody,” Joey corrected, exasperated.

“Seriously?” Eva eyed her.

“Yeah. She’s a total badass.”

No matter what the Sorceress might’ve done, it didn’t matter. She killed Tyler, his oldest friend. She killed Lauren, the girl he once loved. And he killed DeStorm, Jesse, Andrea, Tana, and Liza too. No matter what she did, Alex didn’t forgive her. Not one bit. Mortimer was a different story, since he was possessed. But the Sorceress didn’t have an excuse.

Matt pulled out a note, distracting Alex from his brief moment of anger. His voice shook as he began reading the paper.

_ “To recover the jeweled key, two must be chosen by vote to brave the sands of Egypt. However, you may only choose from among your own group. Friends will betray friends. Discuss among yourselves and then select the card of the person you what forced into the death challenge. Choose wisely. Revenge is a dish best served cold.” _

Cue several gasps from the group. Alex sighed. _ Voting. Again. I’m so used to this. I’m so done with this. _This was, what, his sixteenth round of voting? He couldn’t keep track, he’d done it so many times.

His own group? That was him, Tim, Bretman, Eva, Lele, and Rosanna. One from his group? He didn’t know who at all. He had no clue who should go in.

They all sat in a circle, Eva with an almost wounded look on her face. This was her fourth night, right? Four nights. Alex didn’t think he could handle another one.

They all pleaded their cases, telling the group how helpful they’d been thus far. Bretman told what he found, Eva sighted her accomplishments, Tim followed in Bretman’s footsteps and Lele in Eva’s, and Rosanna said how she was a team player. Everyone made valid cases. Everyone, except for Eva, had died before. It made him sick to his stomach to think about what they had to do. Again.

When it was Eva’s turn, her hand clasped tightly in on itself as she peered at the cards. The all have some sort of reference to their deaths- Matt’s had a vial in the background and had a strange green liquid running through his neck. Lele’s reminded Eva of Gabbie’s card from the second night- almost like a skeleton, with skin barely hanging on. Except Lele’s background was almost blinding- like… like lightning. Both Rosanna’s and Tim’s cards featured them having gunshot wounds on the side of their heads. Eva winced at the memory of Tim’s death. She _ couldn’t _vote for him. Not after what he did.

Her own card, once again, had “the Journalist,”, but instead of a deathly wound, her card had souls floating in the background, painting a haunting image. Alex’s, however, had a knife to his chest, which was odd, because he never died. But whatever.

Eva couldn’t vote for Tim. And Lele and Alex were both obviously out of the picture. So between Bretman and Rosanna….

MatPat and Safiya’s faces flashed across her mind, and she tapped a Playboy card, praying to god she wasn’t the reason someone died.

When Alex went up, he felt a familiar pang at seeing his friends’ cards. Sure, he wasn’t there for Matt’s, Tim’s, or Lele’s deaths, but still. Liza and Nikita and Colleen and Rosanna and _ Roi. _

Eva wasn’t even in the running. He had a newfound friendship with Tim, so not him. Bretman was so new to this experience- Alex couldn’t bring himself to vote for him. And Rosanna… there were so many reasons why he couldn’t.

Alex tapped Lele’s card, guilt already clouding his face, and a sea of regret washed over him.

_ Please, don’t have her be picked. Please, just let her and Eva and Roi and Tim be ok. _

_ Please, let this game be over. _

Mortimer started shuffling the deck, his voice a bitter monotone. “All right, guys. First one into the challenge is...”

Eva held her breath. She didn’t want this. She didn’t want _ any _of this. She wanted to go home.

“...The Enforcer. Matt.”

The man had an almost unreadable expression, but there was a “blink-and-you’ll-miss-it” moment where he winced. Maybe in pain or fear or memory. Tim pursed his lips and looked as if he was reliving something. Maybe the two’s challenge? Eva wasn’t sure.

Lele was unreadable. Her facial expression swapped from satisfaction to pain to indifference. Did something happen to cause them to not hate each other anymore?

“Second group.” Mortimer shuffled the deck of cards. “The second person going into the challenge is…”

Rosanna gripped Colleen’s hand. Roi and Alex huddled together.

“...Lele.”

It felt like Eva had been sucker-punched in the stomach. Lele was going in. She was really going in. And she couldn’t stop it.

The group was in shock. Both Matt and Lele had a very strange expression on their face- a mixture of guilt and determination and fear. Tim looked like someone had shot a kitten right in front of him.

“Matt, Lele, we love you.”

The group said their goodbyes. Eva hugged Matt, only for a moment, before holding Lele tight. She could _ not _lose her. She’s too strong to be broken.

“Come back, ok?” Eva whispered. Lele nodded, and after Tim gave them very long goodbyes, the two walked out the door.

_ I need you. You can’t die on me. Not now. I can’t take losing one more friend. _

————————————

They were waiting, waiting at the spot where the portal disappeared, for what felt like forever.

Maybe it was the fact that Eva and Alex were gone. Maybe it was the fact that they were at a Museum of the Dead. Maybe it was the fact that _ they _might be dead. Whatever it was, Gabbie was terrified. She couldn’t take losing them. Not after everything. She wished that any minute, the two would come running through the portal, with all their friends in tow, and they’d all go home. She wanted Eva to be safe, at home, with Oli. She wanted Alex to be with Lauren and be happy. She wanted her feelings to disappear. She wanted this to stop.

It was weirdly quiet. Jael and Ryu were talking almost silently over the map and their strange blades. Matt and Safiya were playing a game of cards, because honestly, there wasn’t much else to do.

She missed their friends. She wanted to protect them.

And there was nothing she could do.

————————————

It felt like forever as they waited in the lounge. They were all on their toes. Tim, especially, seemed unsettled. Restless. Maybe it was them spending all that time in those glass cases.

Of course, Alex hadn’t done that, but he’d still been through enough.

“Guys?” Eva pointed to the clock. “You know that the clock is at midnight now?”

Alex’s blood turned to ice.

“What time was it last time?” asked Roi.

“10:00,” Joey answered.

“Okay. Okay,” Rosanna huffed, pulling away her jacket. “I need to breathe.”

“That’s going to turn all of us to dust!” Nikita exclaimed. “At 6:00, remember?”

“Well, I’m just confused,” Colleen gestured to Joey. “Because I thought Joey was coming to save us, but now one by one, we’re getting picked off again.”

It was true. This was supposed to be a rescue mission, but it was a survival mission. Yet again.

“Well, things change, ok?” Joey said, his voice bitter.

“This is the same thing, Joey, what are you talking about?” There was audible pain in Tim’s voice.

Not a moment later, the door creaked open, revealing an expressionless Mortimer and Lele Pons. She stared at the ground, her hands clenched into fists. It only took a few seconds for the group to put two and two together.

“Matt’s…” Tim whimpered.

“...Dead?” finished Eva. There was no response. The girl fell onto the couch, her arms tired and weighed against the rest of her body. Eva was quick to let Lele lean on her shoulder.

Alex’s mind swarmed with questions. Matt… was he in hell? Where was he? What happened?

One down. Eight to go. At this rate, only four would survive. And Alex needed to make sure that Eva and Roi were two of them. And hopefully, they can save the rest.

But their odds aren’t looking too good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RIP Matt. I really do like you. I’m sorry.  
(Also Chala I will write that ep 4 Timale one shot I s w e a r)
> 
> Next Chapter: Another friend falls victim to the house. Also, Eva tries to come up with a strategy, Alex realizes some things, and Gabbie is still bored.


	4. A Deadly Cost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt’s gone, but whatever, because it’s time for the dramatic coin swaps!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.S. I did change the notes a bit, because a. there are 12 guests in this AU where there are 10 in canon, and b. I needed to use it for plot reasons.
> 
> With all that aside, enjoy another death that is Chapter 4!

They were standing around, waiting, for Alex, Colleen, Rosanna, Bretman, and Joey to come back. It didn’t take long before the group joined her, Nikita, Lele, Tim, Liza, and Roi under what looked to be a pavilion of some sorts. 

“Did you get the blade?” Roi asked, with unbelievable energy, as usual. 

“We have bad news,” Liza sighed.

“What is it?” Asked Joey.

“We didn’t get the blade,” Eva admitted, defeated. She can’t help but feel like they could’ve done better, even if it was that stupid demon’s fault.

“What?” Alex looked shocked.

“The demon bitch lied to us,” Nikita explained. The other group looked exasperated and shocked. Colleen, especially, looked frustrated.

_ We tried our best, thank you. _

“What are these symbols? What do these mean?” Tim said, pointing to the ground. Eva immediately noticed the symbols on the ground, and, using logic, realized that she needed to stand on one. She shuffled to the side, picking one next to Colleen and Roi, and watched the others scramble for one.

“What is the red one?” Joey noticed, pointing, and everyone backed away from the symbol like it was a rabid animal.

“Dunno, but I don’t want to be on it!” Alex rushed to a spot next to Tim. Everyone else had grabbed a spot, so that left Nikita.

“No,” she crossed her arms. “What the hell does  _ that  _ mean?”

“Maybe, you’re like, immune,” Lele suggested. “You could be the special one!”

Nikita grumbled. “I’m probably gonna get possessed or something.”

After complaining quite a bit, Nikita took her place, and the fountain in the center lit up.

“Oh my god!”

“I’m scared…”

There seemed to be some sort of lid, and Mortimer grabbed it and handed it to Joey, who turned it over and read the note on the back.

_ “It’s almost time to count your coins and face Garuda. Reach into the box and claim one scroll. Start with the person on the red symbol and go around the circle to their right. Once everyone has drawn, open and read the scrolls in opposite order. Any others found are read at the end.” _

One by one, everyone drew, and took their respective places. Since Alex was first, he opened his scroll and read.

_ “Give two coins to anyone.” _

Eva looked down at her mere 14 coins. She was probably in the bottom, and she knew it, but she  _ also  _ knew that Alex was probably going to give his coins to either Roi or Tim. Probably Roi.

“It’s fine. I’ll take them. I volunteer,” said Colleen, which prompted a chuckle from Joey.

“My bag’s open,” Joey almost whimpered.

“Alex…” Lele opened her bag.

Alex walked around the circle, debating, and Eva kept her head down, waiting for him to give his coins to Roi or somebody. But, to her surprise, a hand held out, holding two coins. She looked up, and flashed Alex a grateful smile as she carefully took them from him. He walked back to his seat, and she had never felt more thankful.

_ Oh my god. I’m fine. I’m not in the bottom. Thank god… _

She made a promise to herself that she would repay him later.

“Make someone give away half their coins,” read Tim. “None of them can go to you. Damn!”

“You should pick the person with the most amount of coins,” Lele suggested.

“Think that makes the most sense,” Tim said. “Is that…” he pointed to Rosanna, who was next to him. “Is that you?”

The small girl pursed her lips. “I… I’ll give them out equally.”

She does. The girl had 28, but now has 14 after giving people the coins she had. Soon, it was her turn to read.

“It says ‘name someone you hate’?” the girl looked down. “I don’t hate anybody.”

“Just… who’s your least favorite person here?” Liza said.

After a long pause of hesitation, Rosanna answered. “I don’t know. I like everyone equally, but, maybe, Tim, cause you took my coins…” she sighed. “I’m so sorry.”

Tim nodded. “It’s ok, Ro. That makes sense.”

“What does the rest of your scroll say?” asked Roi.

“Give 3 coins to the person you named,” Ro gave a sad smile and handed Tim 3 coins, which he put into his bag. Everyone oohed.

“Take three coins from anyone,” Bretman answered. “Well, Joey, you’re the richest one here, so…”

“That’s fine, I have enough!” Joey handed three coins to Bretman, who he was two spots away from. 

Next was Lele. “Take two coins. They can’t be from the same person.”

She eyed everyone, before resting her gaze on Colleen. She reached out from two spots over, and reluctantly, the Duchess handed over a coin. Lele then turned to Bretman, who slammed a coin into her hand, and Lele winced.

“Gold digger over here,” she whispered, and Eva’s mind flashed back to three years ago when Joey said the same thing. 

After her was Joey. “Trade coin bags with the person to your right.”

Lele had 18, and Joey had 20, and reluctantly, he grabbed her bag and sulked. Soon, it was Liza’s turn. 

“Trade coin bags with the person to your left,” she read, letting a sly smile creep up her cheeks, as Roi had 16 coins and she had 14. Roi was quick to toss her his bag, to which she grinned at.

“Thank ya,” Liza gave a quick bow. Several people chuckled. Roi pulled out his scroll.

“Give three coins to three different people,” he read. Immediately, he tossed one to Alex, which the Novelist barely managed to catch. After, Roi handed one to Colleen, maybe because of their RV adventure all that time ago?

Finally, Roi held one out to Liza, though Eva wasn’t sure why, as the two weren’t that close. They were both equally chaotic, anyway. Liza flashed him a bright grin.

Soon, Eva realized it was her turn, and opened her scroll to see “give away half your coins to whoever you choose”. Her blood turned to ice as she read it aloud. 

_ Half of sixteen is eight. Eight coins. That’s it. That would make me the poorest. _

Roi had 11, but even that was better than her new number. She looked around the circle, trying to decide who to give it to. She briefly considered Lele, then Alex, but they both had enough coins. She would repay Alex later.

Nikita, from two scrolls down, flashed across her mind.

_ “Very funny, Calliope. But you guys aren’t  _ actually  _ going to put me in there.” _

In her defense, Eva had just lost Oli and was sort of numb at the time. But that didn’t make up for  _ murdering someone.  _ This was her chance to try to give Nikita something. It wouldn’t make up for what she did. But it might just help a little.

“I’m going to give this to someone who may not like me a lot…” she stammered. “And I understand why, and I’m sorry, and I know that’s not enough, but…” she walked to Nikita and held out her hand. “Here.”

The younger girl’s glare softened for a moment and she cautiously grabbed the coins, her expression blank and unreadable, as if she didn’t know whether she still hated Eva or not. It didn’t matter. Eva still felt a little better- she had done  _ something  _ good. Nikita might not forgive her, but maybe she wouldn’t try to murder her.

Next was Colleen. “Name your best friend.” she paused. “Well, it  _ was  _ Joey…”

_ Was _ . Joey looked like he had been punched in the gut.

“What else does it say, woman?” Tim said, exasperated. 

“Take three coins.”

Joey sighed and handed her three. Colleen looked down, almost shameful, and returned to her spot.

Finally, it was Nikita’s turn. “Take two coins from anyone.” She quickly got some from Liza.

“Is that it?” Lele asked.

“No, I have one,” Alex noted.

“So do I,” said Eva.

Alex had a small square note, which read “name your best frenemy out loud and then open”. The Novelist looked around before eventually deciding on Nikita, as his eyes proved. 

“I guess that would be Nikita,” Alex pointed. The girl glared at him, though not quite as fiercely as before. He opened up the scroll. “You can give the person you named half of your coins. Or you can steal half of theirs.”

Everyone oohed. Nikita raised an eyebrow. Lele’s lips curved up into a smile.

“I guess…” Alex walked over to Nikita and held out his hand full of coins. “Here you go.”

Nikita cautiously took the coins, not sure of why both her and Alex were being so nice to her, but put them in her bag.

Eva opened up her scroll. “Close your eyes and walk up to a random person on the circle. Take all their coins and give them to someone else.”

Everyone oohed. She was terrified. What if she walked up to Alex or Lele? No. It would be fine. Just close your eyes…

“Just do it, honey,” chirped Colleen.

Eva closed her eyes, and though she hated the dark because  _ suddenly she’s there, in the basement, locked up, and Oli’s dead, again, and Joey’s screaming, and oh god just wake up- _

She stopped at a random point, and when she opened her eyes, she was standing in front of Liza, and the girl’s face went pale.

“Ooh…”

“Liza,” Joey whispered.

Eva apologized, guilt already creeping up her neck, and turned to Alex with the bag of coins. He saved her once. She’s got to do the same. He’s her friend.

She handed the bag to him, and he smiled back at her as she headed back towards her spot.

“He did it for her,” said Lele.

“So, who’s going in?”

Roi and Liza turned to each other. 

“That’s you and me,” the boy looked worried sick.

“Yeah,” Liza answered.

“Wow,” Alex whispered.

“You guys gotta come with me,” said Mortimer. Roi and Liza started to walk over to him.

“See you soon, Roi!” Alex patted him on the back.

“Come back, Liza!” said Lele, and the two headed off to god knows where.

——————————-

Safiya normally didn’t play Go Fish.

She was more of a cribbage girl, but there wasn’t much to do here. Sure, she loves Matt and all, but thoughts raged through her head like a stampede of buffalo.

_ Are Alex and Eva okay? Are they in danger? Who’s with them? Is… _

Ro. It was her she was always thinking about, missing, missing with her whole heart. That girl meant the world to her. That little Jet setter deserved to live, to see her “nephew”, to be back home. 

Safiya didn’t usually cry, but even she was close to breaking.

——————————-

The doors creaked open, and next to Mortimer… was Roi.

And Alex’s heart flew. Roi was okay, he wasn’t dead, he was going to be okay. Alex didn’t fail him like so many others.

But then it hit him.

_ Liza. _

Sure, he wasn’t close to the girl, but she didn’t deserve that fate. No one did. Now the little brown girl will haunt him, once again. 

“Roi!” Alex cried. He hugged him tight.  _ Oh god. I’m never letting him go again. _

“Roi?” Nikita said, almost as a question. Alex fell back on the couch, next to Eva, and his head and heart hurt like hell. Two dead. More to go. Eva rubbed his back, but it wasn’t the same, because he really needed  _ her,  _ he really needed Gabbie there, right then. But she wasn’t there. She was in the living world, and he was in purgatory, and he couldn’t see her unless he survived this night.

He would. Eva would. Roi would.

He’d make sure of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RIP Liza. Lil brown girl is out, again. I do like you more than some people alive, but you really don’t have any plot relevance, so... I’m sorry. I love you. Please don’t kill me.


	5. Loyalty (and How to Test It)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two are dead. Ten are left. Who will be next to bite the dust?

There was a crack. A dragon. Screams. Fog surrounding them. And then… gone.

All the guys, she meant. Alex and Roi and Tim and Bretman and Joey, all gone. Eva didn’t know  _ where  _ they’d gone, but she didn’t have a good feeling. But on the other hand, this was kinda cool. Just her and the girls.

“Where did they go?” Rosanna asked, spinning around through the fog. 

“To be honest, I like this way more,” Lele remarked. Eva smiled.  _ God,  _ she had missed that girl. 

“This is much better,” Colleen agreed. 

“I agree,” Nikita nodded. “None of those guys were helping us anyway.”

Some of them were helpful, but Eva played along. “Yes. This is much better.”

They dispersed and started to look for clues. Rosanna, however, was still hooked on the all-girls idea.

“Oh my gosh. We could start an all-girl’s band,” she giggled. Eva smiled. Saf and MatPat, she bet, would love to see the little Cinnamon Roll again.

——————————-

Gabbie was  _ still  _ bored.

This was-what? The third hour? Fourth hour? She didn’t know. She didn’t  _ care,  _ honestly. She wanted to go home. She was sick of all this Joey death shit. She needed someone to talk to. And since Matt and Saf were BFFs and were talking and Jael and Ryu were creepily planning something, Gabbie decided to talk to Oli.

She walked over to him, shoving her hands in her pockets. He was looking off, almost distant.

“You okay?” She whispered. He jumped, then sighed.

“Oh,” he lets put a deep breath. “Oh, yeah. I’m fine.”

“This is about Eva and Alex, isn’t it?”

He hesitated and nodded. Hurt and pain were evident in his eyes. “I just… I lost her once. And it was the worst moment of my life. I can’t imagine losing her again.

And you, with Alex. I’m sure you’re going through the same thing.”

She froze. “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t bullcrap me, Gabbie,” Oli looked off again. “I know what you two are. I’m not... whatever you and Eva do, but I’m not clueless. I know what happened. I know what’s happening.”

“What happened?”

“The funhouse thing,” Oli squirmed.

Gabbie’s mind shot back to one year ago. That  _ awful,  _ honest to god  _ awful  _ funhouse. Getting captured. Going up against  _ Alex.  _ Losing. The pain of realizing she was about to die. Saying they loved each other. Finding out she  _ wasn’t  _ about to die. And then…

Oh. That.

That’s what he knew. 

“That was a year ago,” she explained. “I know I’m such a cliché by saying this, but Alex and I really are just friends.”

Oli glanced back at her. “I’m not going to plead you to get together with him, especially tonight, but I’m just saying that you two want to be more than that. Think about it all you want. I just want us all to be safe.”

Gabbie nodded and rubbed his back. He looked off again. Deep down, she knew he was right, but she pushed that away. 

_ They’re okay. They’ve gotta be ok. _

——————————-

The girls walked up the stairs, awaiting their impending fate. So, they were going to be competing to be the emperor’s  _ wife?  _

_ I’m taken! Thank you! I already got married! Go find someone else! _

But against literally every moral she had and her love for Oli, Eva walked up the stairs and followed Lele, Rosanna, Nikita, and Colleen as they busted open the doors.

The room inside was one of gold and red. A man sat on his throne, a smug expression on his face. A woman stood beside him like a guard. She didn’t know who these people were, but she dislikes them already.

They all walked in. The emperor groaned.

“Mother,” he complained. “More women are here? Please talk to them. I’m  _ bored.” _

_ Damn, he’s rude. _

Like Colin. He’s  _ exactly  _ like Colin, except, like, not attractive at all.

But as she stepped inside, she noticed that there was a jeweled key on the end of his sword.  _ Fine. I’ll compete to marry you. But only for that key. _

“They’ll be three tests to show your qualities to the royal emperor,” the woman recited. Man, she was getting on Eva’s nerves. “The woman chosen will became his bride-to-be and receive his protection from the death challenge.”

Wait. That changed everything. No death challenge for her? Ok. She was in. Oli would understand.

His mother continues. “The first test is of beauty. Select a wardrobe that you think will cater to the emperor’s likes. Then you’ll parade in front of him. You may go change.”

They all followed down a long hallway, where a closet-type thing waited for them. Normally, she would have loved theses dresses, but not now. Now, she was trying to survive.

Eva selected one that was of a coral color. Colleen picked a red one, Nikita bright pink, Lele blue, and Rosanna’s was a golden-amber type color. Lele was busy assisting Ro in putting her hair up.

“...Put the pin in my hair and I can just be like ‘ _ whapishaa!’”  _ Rosanna rambled. “And I can stick it… in his eyeball!”

“Now you’re talking,” Colleen smirked. 

_ I’m sorry, Oli. I really am. He won’t pick me. I promise. I’m just trying to survive.  _ Thought Eva as she walked out third. She kept her hair down, because she wasn’t going into  _ that  _ much trouble for this rude emperor.

“Walk back and forth in front of the Emperor,” commanded his mom. She resisted the urge to smack her in the face. She held her own hand tightly and stepped across the room, back and forth. She stepped to the side, next to Lele and Colleen, and waited for the others to come.

Ro was out next. 

“Dance for me,” said the Emperor. “And don’t look me in the eyes as you dance.”

“Um, ok,” the girl said. She clapped her arms back and forth with a plastered smile. After a bit, he dismissed her away.

Last was Nikita. The girl was in hot pink, per usual, and strutted in front of the emperor, twirling around and flipping her hair like she was at a pageant. The emperor seemed quite captivated. His mother promptly sent her to the other girls.

——————————-

Matt was trying.

He really was. But trying wasn’t  _ enough.  _ Trying to distract himself wasn’t working. He couldn’t stop thinking about Alex. Eva. Bretman. Joey. All their dead friends.

Ro.

He missed that girl so much. Sure, he had Saf, but he truly needed both to feel complete. They were his home. He’d known Rosanna for as long as he could remember. She was his sister from another mister, his soul sibling, his best friend. He needed her. He needed to see her again. Matt could never live with the guilt of the last time seeing her being her shooting herself in the head.

That memory still haunted him. Every day. How he let her die. The pain might never go away. It probably never would.

——————————-

The next test was an etiquette one.

“You must eat all your dumplings as quickly and as ladylike as possible, his mother instructed. “You may begin.”

Eva lifted the top of her dumpling basket. Inside was tons of well, dumplings. 

_ I got this.  _ She had done  _ tons  _ of eating challenges. She loved dumplings. What could go wrong?

She, Lele, and Nikita all shoved dumplings in their mouths at the same time. It tasted  _ awful.  _ They were almost as bad as those soups two years ago. They tasted like garbage. Nevertheless, she had to survive, so she kept chewing. Lele and Nikita, however, looked like they were about to throw up. Rosanna hummed and bobbed her head as she chewed the dumplings. Colleen spat them out and tossed them behind her. 

_ Don’t think about them. Just keep eating. Keep going. You got this. _

“Delicious. Did you cook this?” Colleen asked the mother. She nodded and Colleen smiled.

_ Just keep chewing. Just keep swallowing. Chew, swallow. Even if it tastes like hell. _

“Yeah, thanks…” Nikita gagged.

“GUYS, LOOK!” Lele practically shrieked. Everyone looked over. Lele dumped her dumplings on the floor. Eva snickered.

“This is like a mukbang,” Rosanna noted.

“Emperor?” The mother turned to the brat.

“Hmm….” he pointed to Eva. “This one was quite aggressive with her mouth. It could be exciting.”

_ What the hell? That’s so creepy! Ew! Ew! Ewww!  _ He was a creep. She hated him so much, but she accepted the pendant.

——————————-

“I don’t know if I would classify any of them as _funny…” _the emperor sneered. “But if I had to pick the least _boring, _I’d say her.”

_ Oh my god. He’s pointing at me. That means I have two. That means… _

She snatched the pendant from his hand. “You shall be my wife,” he announced, with his sword pointed right at her, as romantic as that was.

_ I’m so, so, so sorry Oli. I am. I don’t love him. I’ll kill him. Okay? Can you hear me? _

“Uh, sir-“ Lele tried to cut in. Nikita elbowed her. Rosanna smiled. Colleen looked neutral and nodded. 

“I will make the wedding arrangements,” said his mother. She placed her hands on Eva’s arms and she tried to stay calm.

_ I’m sorry…. _

It wasn’t enough. This was supposed to be a rescue mission, and here she was, marrying a bratty emperor when she was already married. This was against all her morals.

——————————-

Alex walked back with the rest of the boys after completing the four tasks. They walked down the hall until they saw all the girls. All except Eva.

_ Where is she? Is she okay? _

“Guys!” Joey yelled. The girls were all wearing traditional Chinese robes- gold and red and pink and blue. Bretman looked bitter. 

“Eva’s about to get married!” Colleen announced.

“Married?” Asked Alex.  _ Married? She’s already married! To Oli! _

The girls quickly summarized what they went through. Tests to find a wife. Tim and Joey quickly went over went they went through. Boxes. Blindfolds. Actually doing kind of okay at Chinese Chess. 

“And we all accomplished our goals,” Alex said. Tim, Joey, Bretman, and Roi nodded in agreement.

“We gave you an  _ hour!” _ Suddenly there was the rebel people again, charging at them with swords, and Alex stumbled back, gripping Roi’s and Bretman’s arms. ( _ Why does Bretman look so happy right now? _ )

_ “Shit!”  _ Colleen screamed, holding on to Joey’s hand. Rosanna clung to Nikita. Eva, Tim, and Lele huddled for safety. 

“Where is it? We’ve been waiting for it!” One yelled. 

“He did know where the spear was,” the other said, gesturing to Joey, who was holding the dragon spear.

“So… you’re going to help us?” Asked Joey.

“We can get two inside the emperor’s wedding ceremony as distractions while we plot his death.”

“Eva,” Bretman whispered under his breath.

“We’ll need the spear.” One held out her hand.  _ Don’t give it to them! It’s probably a trick!  _

“Joey, we shouldn’t-“ Roi started. Joey cut him off.

“I think we can trust them.” Joey handed the two the dragon spear. One handed him a note in return.

“We’ll see you at the wedding,” one announced. Joey murmured a “see ya” and started to read the note aloud. Alex already knew what it was about.

_ “The Emperor demands he be entertained at his wedding and desires to see a duel to the death. Two must be selected by vote to battle for the Emperor’s pleasure. Choose your champions wisely.” _

Everyone gasped. Colleen looked beyond disturbed. Rosanna bit her lip. 

“I mean, everyone in our group pulled their weight.” Colleen announced.

“I paraded for that Emperor bitch. I don’t wanna go in.” Noted Nikita. 

“I mean, we all did pretty well at our tasks too,” Roi said.

“What about those armored pull-ups?” Joey asked, giving Roi the side eye.  _ But that wasn’t his fault! Armored pull ups are hard! _

Alex walked up to the voting table, and his heart already felt heavy. He glanced quickly over the all-familiar faces staring at him. Roi, Tim, Eva, Joey- all out of the question. He voted Lele in last time, so not her. Alex still felt pretty bad for Bretman, however well he could handle himself, so not him. So that left Colleen, Rosanna, and Nikita. Nikita was a top player. Gabbie flashed across his mind, her beautiful face masked in pain, the same look she had when Colleen died.

_ Did I just call her beautiful? _

He didn’t do that consciously, and that was a little weird, but whatever. Rosanna wasn’t the most helpful. So he tapped her card.

_ Sorry, Matt. Sorry, Saf. _

Mortimer shuffled the cards. Alex held his breath. 

“The first one going into the challenge is…”

Nikita whispers something under her breath.

“...Roi.”

Colleen gasped. Rosanna bit her lip.

_ Dammit.  _ Roi’s going in. Again.  _ Seriously? _

“The second person is…”

_ I swear to god, if this is me or Eva or Tim- _

“...Tim.”

Lele gave a frustrated sigh. Joey looked off.

_ Goddammit.  _ His head was in his hands.  _ Seriously, world?  _ His heart hurt. He hated this. He didn’t want either of them to die, but if he had to pick, he prayed that Roi would come back okay. He  _ couldn’t  _ lose him. Not again. He made a promise to himself that he’d get Roi out, no matter what it took.

“Follow me,” Mortimer motioned. Alex patted Roi on the back. Tim glanced back at everyone. The two followed Mortimer down the hall.

Alex slumped in his seat.  _ I hate this. I hate this. I hate this. _

——————————-

Eva was already regretting this.

Being the logical person she was, she doubted that she was actually going to have to get married to the Emperor, but Oli’s face still flashed across her mind. As she waited for the two he would have to battle death, she tried to stay away from the Emperor as possible, nearly falling off the platform. She hated him. She hated this. She wanted to go home. 

Taking lessons from his mother on how to become the perfect Chinese bride wasn’t heaven for her, either, but she sucked up all the annoyance she had for this stupid emperor and plastered on a smile.

Two figures walked in, and her heart dropped. 

It was Roi and Tim. 

Sure, she wasn’t that close to either of them, but Tim died right in front of her the first time, and it was obvious how close Roi and Alex were.  _ Am I going to have to see one of them die? _

One person handed Tim a note. He sighed and read it aloud.

_ “For this duel to the death, each must start in their respective corners of the tile map. Taking turns, one will move one step to an adjacent square. The tile you step off will be turned over and will then be out of play. First to run out of moves… loses.” _

This was messed up. Eva tried one last attempt to save Roi and Tim. “A death duel? Seriously?” She finally turned to the emperor. 

“Of course, darling,” he responded, his face a relaxed smile. She turned away. She couldn’t stand him. First, calling her darling, and then being happy about another one of her friends dying? How many psychos were there in these past eras?

Two guards stood by as Roi and Tim took their respective positions. “Good luck,” the emperor sneered. “You’ll need it.”

Roi went first, which based on the game, gave him an unfair advantage, but whatever. The boy stepped one square to his left, and the previous square was covered up. Tim then stepped one forward. The Emperor yawned.

Roi stepped one forward. 

“What’d you got?” Asked Tim as he stepped forward as well. 

“You’re lucky this isn’t a physical challenge,” replied Roi. 

The game went on for a while. Every few turns, Eva would turn to the emperor, increasingly becoming more desperate as she realized that it was very obvious that Roi was going to win.  _ Not Tim. He died right in front of me last time. Not again. Never again. _

Tim only had two moves left, and he just seemed to realize that he might be doomed, “Uh…” his voice shook. “I may be in a tight spot…” He moved one more spot to his right. There was only one viable space left. 

“I’m sorry, Tim.” Said Roi. He moved a space to his left. Eva turned pale.

_ Time’s up. _

She didn’t want this. She didn’t want this at  _ all.  _ She and Tim did have their differences, but he was a good person. This Emperor can go die for all she cared.

_ Not Tim… _

Reluctantly, Tim stepped on the final square, and his fate was sealed. The Emperor stepped up.

“Looks like we have a  _ loser,”  _ he grinned evilly, moving toward Tim with a sword gripped in his hand.

“No, no, no, please  _ stop!”  _ Eva cried. The Emperor didn’t listen. He sent his sword straight through Tim’s stomach, and the once charismatic, funny, good-hearted Con Man fell with a  _ thud. _

_ Oh my god. Tim’s Dead…. again….  _

“Now I’m ready to be married,” announced the Emperor. Rage seethed inside Eva. She grabbed a The Dragon Spear from one of the rebels (who was trying to disguise as a guard), however their protests, and rammed it into the Emperor’s chest.  _ That’s for Tim,  _ she thought.  _ That’s for Roi. That’s for Alex. That’s for Lele. That’s for Oli. _

Then it hit her.  _ Oh god. Did I just kill somebody? _

Roi stared at her in awe. The Sorceress slit the mother’s throat. The rebels cried a cheer of rebellion. 

“China belongs to us now!” One shouted.

“Grab the key, Eva!” Mortimer shouted. She ripped it off his sword and followed Mortimer and Roi as they sprinted back to the lounge.

Footsteps echoed in the hallway, pounding on the ground. Alex looked behind him, and there was Mortimer, Eva…

…and Roi.

_ Oh my god. He’s back, again, thank god, he’s okay…. oh my god… _

Then it hit him.

_ Tim… _

His newfound friend was gone. In hell. He thought? Was that where they were? He didn’t know. He hated not knowing.

“Roi!” Colleen yelled. The boy’s face looked somber, with a hint of guilt. 

“Roi?” Lele said, almost as a question. 

“Roi,” Nikita said monotonically. 

“What happened to Tim?” Joey asked. No answer. The boy flopped down on the couch. He looked exhausted. After a bit, when everyone else started dispersing, Roi started talking to Alex.

“I don’t…” he sighed. “I don’t know if I can do this anymore, Alex. I couldn’t save Teala. And then I couldn’t save Liza. And now…Tim…” The boy looked down again. Alex rubbed his back.

“I know,” Alex whispered. “I miss them too. But you gotta keep going, okay? Don’t give up.”

“I’m trying…” Roi said quietly. “I just always wanted to be a hero. And now I can’t save anyone.”

Alex put an arm around him. “You’re a hero to me.”

The boy smiled at him, but it was a sad smile. Almost faded. Everyone was kind of faded in a way- for Alex, this was the third night. The third night of non-literal hell. 

It was getting to all of them. They couldn’t stay here much longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RIP Tim. I love you. I really do. If you do end up in hell, hell will be hella awesome.
> 
> P.S. please leave comments, as they really make my day! :D who do you think will survive? who’s next to get the boot? i’m very curious... 😈


	6. How to Not Save a Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 3 are dead. With the Black Knight on the horizon, our heroes are determined to save the next victim. Will they succeed? Will they fail?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm very sorry in advance.

As Eva approached the voting table, scanning the cards, the cogs continued whirling in her head. After seeing Tim get murdered, again, she had begun to think of a plan- and she promised herself that she would save someone this hour. And who's easier to save than herself?

So she tapped a Journalist card, ignoring the sinking feeling in her stomach, and moved back to her seat.

What if once I'm in the challenge, I can grab Excalibur and just stab the Black Knight? With the tears? Hmm…

She didn't know how, but she knew one thing: she would save someone this hour, no matter what it took.

  
Alex's eyes scanned the all-familiar cards. Tim’s weren't there. Neither were Matt’s or Liza’s. His heart ached looking at all the faces staring back at him, their deaths on replay in the backgrounds of their cards.

Lele. Roi. Nikita. Colleen. Rosanna. Bretman. Eva. Joey. Which one? With a gut feeling, he pointed at a Duchess card. There were a couple reasons why he shouldn’t have done it and zero reasons why he did, but a gut feeling was all he had at that point.

  
Mortimer shuffled the cards, and Eva bit her lip. Why did I vote for myself? What was I thinking? Come on, please don’t pick me, I’ve done this so many times…

“First into the challenge is…”

Rosanna gripped Roi’s hand. Lele clenched a hand on Eva’s shoulder. Bretman held Alex’s arm.

“...Nikita. The Pin-Up Girl.”

Cue gasps. Eva froze. No. Not again. I killed her last time. I can’t let her die again. No…

Bretman gasped the loudest. Nikita narrowed her eyes.

“Who the hell voted for me?” she snapped. No one said a word. She groaned and flopped back onto the couch.

“Next person is….”

Bretman whispered “you got this” in Nikita’s ear. She nodded, sitting up straight. Lele drummed her fingers on the table.

“...Bretman. The Playboy.”

Everyone gasped even louder. This made the situation a thousand times worse. The two were best friends- and now best friends going against each other in a challenge.

“What?” said Nikita. “Are you kidding me?”

“Alright, which one of you bitches voted for me?” Bretman eyed every person there. “I can’t go up against Nikita!”

“Sorry guys,” said Mortimer, not sounding sorry at all. “Follow me.”

“Sorry girls,” Nikita corrected, standing up and pulling Bretman to his feet. They walked out the door, and with a slam, they were gone.

  
\-----------------------------------------------------

  
Matt sighed. After sixteen rounds of Go Fish, he needed something else to do besides lose to Saf and sulk. There must be some way to contact Alex and Eva and Joey and Bretman. But how?

“Hey Jael? Ryu?” Matt asked. The two Society Against Evil members turned around.

“Yes, Matt?” Jael responded.

“Is there any way to contact our friends?” he wondered. “Can’t you guys contact them using your magic?”

Jael sighed. “Unfortunately, cross-dimensional contact is a top-level ability, and Ryu and I are not yet there. We can try to view them, though.”

“Would that tell if they were okay?” Oli said, who had been overhearing the conversation.

“It would be able to tell if they were alive, yes.” Ryu confirmed.

“Okay, then do it! Fire up your brain magic or whatever!” stood Gabbie, crossing her arms.

Jael raised her eyebrows. “We can try, but it’s very unlikely to work, as it’s very possible that the Collector lined her museum with a magic reflecting shield to ward off intruders.”

“Well, still try, though!” said Gabbie. Ryu nodded and linked hands with Jael. The two muttered a quiet chant and squeezed their eyes shut. The artifacts lit up and the Carnival Master’s crystal turned almost white. Matt prayed for something. Anything.   
Suddenly, the artifacts returned to their normal state. The crystal returned to its natural color. Jael and Ryu slumped over.

“I’m sorry, everyone,” Jael sighed. “Looks like her magic is too strong.”

“Then go through it! I can’t keep going knowing that our friends could be dead!” Gabbie bit her lip and looked off, her eyes filling with angry tears. Saf rubbed her back.

I was right about that Lazarus theory. There’s gotta be something else that we can use to reach them.

  
\-----------------------------------------------------

  
They sat in the lounge, waiting, again. God, was Eva sick of waiting. Her heart hurt. She had a sinking feeling that something very bad was going to happen to her friends. She promised herself she’d save them. She promised.

“Guys,” Eva announced, standing up. “What are we doing in here? We have two friends, fighting for their lives, and we’re not even doing anything!”

“Eva, are you saying we should go save Bretman and Nikita?” Joey asked.

“Yeah. We should go help them.” said Roi.

“Let’s go.” agreed Alex.

Eva stormed out the door, along with everyone else, promising herself yet again that she wouldn’t let her friends die.

You’ve already failed so many times before. What makes you think you’ll succeed now?

Shut up!

  
Alex followed Eva and Roi as they ran down the pathway, coming to a clearing where Bretman and Nikita were running from a terrifying Black Knight. Both the frazzled beauty gurus were screaming in fear. Eva ran towards the two, but all of them were too late as the Black Knight grabbed Bretman and stabbed him right through the stomach with his sword. The boy fell to the ground. Everyone screamed.

Oh my god… Bretman…

Alex wasn’t particularly close with the boy, but he was a newbie and in no way deserved to suffer that awful fate.

Rosanna clamped a hand over her mouth. Lele shrieked. Roi’s jaw dropped.

Nikita ran back, but she wasn’t able to get far. The Black Knight gripped her arms and pulled out his sword. Alex ran forward.

So did Eva. She cried out. “No no stop!”

The monster didn’t stop. He dove his blade right through Nikita’s chest, silencing her screams. The once fierce Pin-Up Girl/Troublemaker collapsed onto the dirt in a pool of her own blood. Everyone screamed louder.

Both of them? Oh god… BOTH of them?!

“What?! What the hell?!” Lele shrieked. “What the HELL?!”

“Oh my god!” Rosanna whimpered. Colleen screamed.

“They both just died!” Joey said. They didn’t have time to be shocked before the Black Knight came marching towards them, sword in hand, ready to strike yet again.  
He’s gonna kill us too!

But, thank god, before the monster could kill anyone else, Merlin came in with a wand in hand, ready to save the day.

“Hey! You dark hearted villain!” yelled the wizard. “I haven’t finished with you yet.”

“Bring it, old man.” sneered the Knight.

The two began to fight, Merlin shooting shots of green magic at the evil Knight. Colleen quickly picked up that they had to solve the puzzles themselves in order to get the tears of the lady of the lake.

“Come on, guys!” she hissed. They all followed her down to the tables, where they had to complete the uncompleted puzzles. They all crowded around one table, and Alex began to piece the wooden pieces together. I got this. I’m great at puzzles!

“You must try and set Excalibur free!” shouted Merlin.

“Okay! We did it!” shouted Lele.

“Oh, there’s another one!” Roi noticed. They all followed him to the other table, and solved that puzzle in no time flat while Merlin still battled with the Black Knight.

“We did it!” Rosanna yelled. From the other side of the clearing, a rock opened up, revealing a tiny bottle that could only be the tears of the lady of the lake. Roi charged forward and drank the liquid up.

Does that make him the king?

Suddenly, there were shouts, and Merlin fell to the ground, covered in blood.

“Merlin!” Rosanna weeped.

“Merlin!” Eva cried.

“Dammit.” Lele muttered.

“Wait, Roi, grab the sword!” Alex yelled. Roi ran forward and pulled the sword out of the stone and Alex grinned. Everyone cheered.

He really is a king!

The Black Knight charged towards Roi. After a brief sword fight with Roi’s (admittedly ametuer) fencing skills, the Aviator stabbed the monster in the chest. Everyone cheered. Lele screamed her head off. Alex whooped.

“Whoo King Roi!” yelled Colleen. Rosanna curtsied. Roi grinned at both of them. He grabbed the jeweled key and they all ran back to the lounge, hearing the sound of a horn.

Why did the Black Knight blow a horn? I dunno. Doesn’t matter.

But it did matter. As they walked back into the lounge, everyone seemed slumped, exhausted.

“Guys, I…” Eva slumped. “I need a break. Can we take a ten minute break, please? Just to rest for a bit?”

Joey sighed. “I guess we could spare ten minutes. We just need to stay safe.”

“Okay,” Colleen said. “Put in the key in 10 minutes?”

“Okay.”

“Sure.”

They all dispersed. Roi went running down the hall. Colleen and Rosanna followed him. Lele and Joey began talking. Eva sat on the middle couch, hugging her knees. Alex sat down beside her and rubbed her back.

“Thanks…” she smiled weakly.

“I’m sorry.” he said on instinct, not really knowing what it was for. Sorry for being here instead of Oli or Gabbie? Sorry for not being able to save Nikita or Bretman?

“I promised that I would save her….” Eva rubbed her eyes. “And now she’s dead, Alex, she’s really gone, and I don’t even know if our friends back home are still alive…”

“I know,” Alex said quietly. “But I bet they’re okay. I think they’re more worried for us.”

Eva nodded. “Yeah. I think they are. I just miss them. A lot.”

Alex sighed. “Yeah. Me too.”

Eva gave a small smile. “You still like her, don’t you.”

Alex froze. He knew she was talking about Gabbie, and as much as he wanted to ignore it, he knew that he wasn’t over her. He probably never would be.

“Yeah.” he sighed. “Yeah, I do. But I still miss all of them.”

Eva nodded. “I have a feeling that we’ll see them soon, though.”

He felt the same. He knew that he’d see MatPat and Safiya and Oli and Gabbie again. Probably soon. They’d all be fine.

I think.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RIP Nikita and Bretman. At least you both died looking fabulous.
> 
> Next Chapter: Eva's bitter and Alex is losing hope, but four guardian angels may be able to help them.


	7. Reunions (and the Cost for Them)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Four friends are reunited with seven others and a person dies, again.

Matt stood there, pacing on the ground, Safiya with a hand on his shoulder as he grumbled under his breath. There  _ had  _ to be some way to tell if they were okay. He was sick and tired of standing around and letting his friends be in danger. But Jael and Ryu didn’t seem like they were any help. MatPat was known as the analytical one, the smart one, the one who could figure anything out, and yet now he was out of options and out of ideas. All he could do was sit and wait for something to happen.

And indeed something did happen. Out of nowhere, Gabbie’s whole body began to shine with an almost ethereal light, illuminating her pale skin.

“Oh my god,” Gabbie peered at her own hand. “Jael, Ryu, guys, wHAT IS HAPPENING?”

“Gabbie!” Oli shrieked. “Oh my god! Jael! Ryu! What’s going on? Is your magic suddenly working?”

Jael shook her head. “That’s not our magic.”

“Uh, then  _ what is it?”  _ Safiya asked. “Is she in danger?”

Out of nowhere, Gabbie’s arm began fading away, disappearing into specks in the wind. Within seconds, both of her arms were gone.

_ “Gab!”  _ Oli yelled. 

“Gabbie!” Matt screamed.  _ Oh god, is she going to where our friends are?  _

“Guys!” She screamed. Within a moment, she was gone, her entire body fading away. They all screamed. 

_ Is she dead? _

Matt shivered at the thought. Oli fell back, biting his lip. Safiya looked to be in shock.

“We don’t know where she went,” Jael said. “And I’m not sure if there’s a way to get her back.”

“Well we can't just leave her like Alex and Eva!” Matt yelled. Within a second, Oli began to fade into the wind.

“Guys?!” He yelled. “Wha-“

Oli was gone too, leaving just Matt, Saf, Jael, and Ryu. Matt grabbed Saf’s arm as if to keep them both there. He didn’t know where Oli and Gabbie went, but he didn’t have a good feeling. 

“Matt!” Safiya yelled. He whipped around, and she, too, was fading away.

_ Oh god not Saf please no- _

“Saf!” He screamed. “Safiya!”

In an instant, she was gone too. His heart hurt like hell.  _ I’m the only survivor left. Of they're in purgatory, doesn’t that mean they’re dead? Am I the only one alive from these nightmares. _

When he eventually faded away too, he took comfort in the fact that he would see his fallen friends again.

“Okay.” Joey said. “I’m gonna do it.”

He placed the guardian angel stone on top of the box, and the doors swung open, revealing four very familiar faces. 

Leather jacket. Bright smile. Hair tucked behind ear. Scruffy light brown hair.

Matt. Saf. Gabbie. Oli.

Eva’s heart flew. It was  _ them,  _ the four people she had missed so much over the past few hours. They were back, here,  _ alive.  _ She had never been more grateful in her life.

Everyone erupted into celebration. Rosanna jumped into the awaiting arms of MatPat and Safiya. Colleen tearfully embraced Gabbie. Oli and Eva ran towards each other. 

“Oh my god, Oli.” She gripped his face. “Oh my god, you’re alright,”

“Are you okay?” He gripped her shoulders. “You scared me so,  _ so  _ much, Eva, you gave me a heart attack.”

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…” she said with shaky breath. “But I’m okay.” 

They stared at each other for a few seconds before she leapt into his arms, holding him tight and holding back tears. She held him and promised herself she would never let go.

_ Oh my god. You’re here. You’re here. And I’m never letting you go again. _

As soon as Safiya entered that room, Rosanna was the first thing she saw. That girl, the small former Jetsetter with a heart of gold, the one she’d been thinking about for a whole year, was there. So when Rosanna jumped into her and Matt’s arms, she hugged her tight, so tight that she thought she might break.

The trio restarted. This time, she would make sure it wouldn’t end. 

After Colleen was done with her, Gabbie turned to Alex. His heart flew seeing her again, seeing the girl he loved standing there with the biggest smile on her face, that giddy grin she had whenever she happened to be in a mood of particular joy. The smile that could light up a room. A smile to lead him out of that dark passageway he had been lost in. 

She threw her arms around him, wrapping her arms around his neck, and his breath stopped for a split second before he hugged her back, grinning like never before as waves of emotions flooded over him.

Comfort. Joy. Relief. Love.

Because, against all odds, he  _ did  _ love her. Loved her like hell. Loved her like he would stay in purgatory forever if it made her happy. Even if the universe hated it and they would be able to save Lauren and she would never feel the same way, he loved her.

_ I love you, Gabbie. _ He thought to himself as he held her tightly.  _ I love you. I love you. I love you. _

Once Oli was there, his focus was on Eva. His wife was back, safe, and he wasn’t letting her go again. But he also wanted to say hi to everyone else.

Alex was there too, and of course Oli had missed him tremendously. So when he hugged him as tight as he could, his heart finally rested for a moment after hours of worrying and so much stress. 

To his surprise, Lele, Rosanna, Roi, and Colleen were there too. All four of them were dear fallen friends, so saying hi and hugging them was a huge relief and a huge joy. He’d almost forgotten how much he missed them in the midst of missing Alex and Eva.

The next thing he noticed was a statue in the center of the room, that looked sort of like Mortimer.

“What’s that?” He asked, pointing towards the statue, still gripping Eva’s hand with his other hand.

“Mortimer.” Colleen answered.

“He was turned… to stone.” Rosanna continued. Oli looked at the stone figure. Sure, Mortimer did betray them, but wasn’t he possessed? 

“Good.” Gabbie grumbled.

“Listen, you guys came at a pretty crazy time…” said Joey. “Because there is this crazy gorgon woman and if we don’t stop her, we’re all going to turn to stone.”

Oli’s mind jumped to Greek Mythology, the stories he used to read as a kid. 

“If you showed a mirror to a gorgon,” he explained. “It would turn themself to stone because of their reflection, right?”

“Oh, yeah!” Matt said. “The myths always said that.”

Everyone nodded in agreement. Joey went a retrieved a patterned book, which he handed to Lele.

“We haven’t read this.” She pointed out. The former Hustler opened up the note and began reading.  _ “If my memories are correct, I think you might be facing a Gorgon. It’s believed that Athena’s mirror shield can turn her deadly stare back upon her.” _

Oli smiled.  _ That’s what I said! _

“Good to have you back, Oli.” Lele smiled. Rosanna patted him on the back.

Eva High-fived him. “That’s the man I married!” She grinned. 

Even though they were in a place for the dead facing yet another monster, Oli felt happy for the first time that night.

—————————————

As Eva bursted out of the gate with Oli, Alex, Gabbie, and Colleen in tow, the other group came charging towards them.

“Guys!” Alex yelled. “We saved Colleen!”

“You did?” Safiya smiled.

“Yeah!” 

“Did you get the medallion piece?”

“Yep. Did you?”

“Our medallion piece came with this note,” Roi held up a slip of paper and began to read.  _ “To claim the final piece of the medallion, built a monument to Poseidon from the pieces hidden throughout the maze.” _

“We have to go back in there?” Colleen shuddered. 

_ “Your guardian angel will search the maze for the pieces you’ll use. The first two complete their monument will receive the medallion while the other will be torn to pieces. Watch your back; the Minotaur will be roaming the maze.” _

_ Come on! We were just in there! Couldn’t someone have told us this before? Couldn’t we have gotten it when we were in there? _

“Are we going to vote?” Safiya asked.

“I think we know how this goes,” said the Sorceress. “We also have cards for the guardian angels.”

_ “What?”  _ Snapped Eva. “But they’re  _ guardian angels!” _

_ Where are these cards coming from?  _ Alex thought.  _ Who is giving the Sorceress these cards? _

Oli went up, then Roi, then Lele, then Colleen, then Joey, then Eva, then MatPat, then Safiya, then Rosanna. When Alex went up to vote, his hand darted at Joeys card, ignoring Oli’s new card, which featured his head bashed in.

Gabbie voted and then went back to stand next to him. He gave her a reassuring smile as the Sorceress shuffled the cards.

“First one in…” 

Everyone held their breath. Rosanna clung to Matt and Safiya. Oli and Eva huddled together. 

“...the Duchess.” Everyone gasped. 

_ “What?”  _ Colleen snapped. Gabbie looked to be in a state of deep pain. Alex rubbed her back in an attempt to comfort her.

Before he knew it, the Sorceress drew another card. “Gabbie.”

He froze.  _ Oh god. She said Gabbie. That means she’s going in. Oh god. _

Memories flashed across his mind. The Spider Challenge. The Gauntlet. The Toxic Lair Challenge. The Witches’ Challenge.

The Funhouse Challenge. 

Everyone gasped again. Gabbie hung her head. Eva’s head dropped into her hands. Oli shook his head. 

“The person who was called first gets to choose their guardian angel first,” said the Sorceress.

“Well, uh,” Colleen stammered. “I can’t choose Gabbie, and Oli saved me from the maze, so I'll go with him.”

Oli smiled at her and nodded, but there was pain in his smile. “I’ll try my best.”

Gabbie looked between everyone. “Um… I guess I’ll go with Safiya.”

Saf smiled at Gabbie and walked over to her. “I saved someone once. I can do it again.”

“You got this!” Lele yelled as the four entered the maze.

“Good luck you guys!” Joey encouraged.

Alex’s eyes didn’t waver from Gabbie as she disappeared into the maze. He prayed to everything that she would come back okay. 

_ Please, please keep her alive. I can’t take losing her. She doesn’t even know how much I love her… _

The last thought rang in his head like church bells. Once they were safe, or at least when she would come back, he’d tell her.

It was simple. Safiya would grab the pieces for her, and Gabbie would build a Parthenon. So it was all up to Saf. 

Colleen stood at the other table. Gabbie’s heart hurt knowing that only one of them would get out alive. 

“Go, go, go!” Both Gabbie and Colleen yelled. Safiya and Oli took off in different directions.

_ Come on, Saf… _

Safiya took off, heading in her direction and scanning the ground. Just using common logic, she knew that if she grabbed all the bags at once, they would have a higher chance of winning, so that was her strategy. 

Sure, out of everyone in their group, she wasn’t the closest with Gabbie, but she was still her friend and it was her duty to save her, just like she saved Roi. 

Using her lantern, she grabbed one bag, then two, then three.  _ I got this. _

As Oli roamed the maze, his only strategy was to get the pieces back to Colleen as quickly as possible. It hurt him to think about the outcome of what he was doing, but he had a responsibility to save Colleen, and he wasn’t about to let that down.

He found a bag and ran it back to her. “Thanks, Oli!” She yelled as she began to assemble her Parthenon. Her words fueled him as he kept searching.

_ Come on, Saf,  _ Gabbie thought, beginning to get impatient.  _ Colleen’s already got pieces. Come on… _

Her prayers were answered as Safiya sprinted back with all of her pieces.  _ Oh, thank god.  _ They both began building the Parthenon according to the visual. Gabbie was never great at puzzles, but of course Safiya was a pro. Even as Oli returned to Colleen with the rest of the pieces, Gab and Saf began to finish their puzzle. 

“We can do this,” said Oli. “We got this.”

“Okay, that’s the last piece.” Safiya pointed out as Gabbie places it. It took only a few seconds for her to realize what that meant.

_ Oh god. I just doomed Colleen. _

“No!” The girl cried. Oli disappeared with a flash of light. “Oli!  _ No!” _

_ Where’d he go? Is he okay? _

The medallion appeared, and Gabbie raced to get it, but she knew it was too late. The Minotaur grabbed Colleen and her screams were silenced with the horrifying sound of bones breaking.

_ Oh my god… she’s dead… again. I failed to save her. Again. _

“Minotaur!” Gabbie yelled. “Kill the Gorgon and bring me her key!” 

The monster stomped off. Safiya rubbed her back, but her heart sank with each breath she took.

As Alex waited in the lounge, his pulse raced more than ever. It wasn’t a full on panic attack like last time; it was a more quiet feeling of sinking despair. His heart hurt thinking about the possibility of Gabbie being gone.

Footsteps began to echo down the hallway, and as they all turned around, he let out a sigh of relief. Gabbie was in fact there, alive, with Safiya in tow. 

_ She’s alive. Thank god. _

But then it hit him.

_ Oli… Colleen… _

Oli  _ wasn’t  _ dead. Maybe he just faded away, like last time. Maybe he was with Jael and Ryu.

“Gabbie!” Lele yelled. 

“Where’s Oli?” Eva said. 

“He just faded away,” Gabbie said. “It’s how we got here. I think he’s safe.”

“And Colleen?” Joey said.

“She’s… gone.” Safiya said. Rosanna sank into her seat. Roi’s head fell into his hands. Joey closed his eyes in sorrow.

“But we do have a key,” Gabbie said, plastering on a fake smile. 

“Yeah.” Safiya agreed. As Saf moved to place the key, Alex walked up to Gabbie and hugged her tightly. He didn’t say what he promised to, reasoning that it just wasn’t the right time. Not right then. He was just happy she was back. 

When Saf inserted the key, a box popped open, revealing a lamp and a note.

_ “Wishes are not free,”  _ Joey read. 

_ Well, that’s creepy. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RIP Colleen. You were great. I’m sorry.


	8. Lost Call, Last Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oli and Colleen are gone. We’ve now got six guests, three guardian angels, five traumatized survivors, and one waiting to return.

The nine of them were quickly surrounded by the flesh-eating dancers. At least, that’s what Safiya  _ thought  _ they were. She really wasn’t sure. She clung to Matt and Ro in a vain effort to protect them, but Scherezade still snorted on with her despicable speech. 

“You won’t get the hammer,” she snarled. “But I will let you leave Arabia. Two of you must be chosen by vote to try and complete my latest story. The one who can will live and the other will not. Like I said… your tale is a tragedy.”

Of course. What else was Saf expecting? They all did this an hour ago. Now, she needed to do it again. Not only was Ro in danger, but her and Matt were too, because for some reason Guardian Angels could be voted in. That still perplexed her immensely, but it was fine. She’d do fine. She saved Roi. She saved Gabbie. She could win a challenge again.

“You’re about to be a tragedy.” Gabbie muttered in Scherezade’s direction. Eva simply glared at the storyteller. Lele looked like she was going to strangle the woman.

“Who hasn’t gone in?” wondered Roi. 

Lele, Rosanna, Eva, Alex, Joey, Matt, and Safiya herself raised their hands. Only two had gone in. Out of nine. 

“I thought more people had done it.” Gabbie wondered aloud. Multiple people shook their heads.

“So… it looks like we’re all on pretty even footing,” noticed Alex. “Should we… just… put our own names in?”

Joey nodded. “Yeah.” Everyone else murmured in agreement. Safiya shook away her fear.

_ I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. _

After everyone had voted, Eva clamped her own hand. Sure, she liked stories. But she’s not ready to die. She’s a 25 year old traumatized former YouTuber. A part of her had always wanted to give up, but she’d gone too far. She couldn’t just die now. 

Names crossed her mind and she tried to be frightened.  _ Gabbie. Alex. Lele. Matt. Saf. _

The Sorceress drew one. Eva’s pulse raced. She grabbed Gabbie’s hand as the card flipped around. 

_ Oh god. _

It was Matt.

Matt, the Guardian Angel. Matt, the genius. Matt, the one who looked out for everyone.

Ro buried her face in Saf’s shoulder. Joey shook his head, muttering something. The Sorceress drew again. 

“...The Novelist.”

_ Oh no. Oh god… _

Alex. Alex and Matt. Really? It  _ had  _ to be those two. It  _ had  _ to. Matt’s and Alex’s faces twisted into horror. Gabbie’s face was a failed attempt to conceal heartbreak.

Joey, strangely, stepped forward. “Matt.”

“Yes?” The former Detective turned around.

“You’re… a guardian angel. It’s not fair for you to go in.”

_ Joey, what?  _ Eva narrowed her eyes.  _ What about when Gabbie went in? How is this different? _

Gabbie muttered something. Alex looked off. 

Matt looked touched. “Thank you, Joey.”

Scherezade gestures to a landscape, large piece of paper. “Here is the story you must complete. Hunt through the bazaar to find three items to fill in the blanks. And your friends will vote on which story is the worst. And one of your names will be written in as the tragic death that ends this tale. Now find your items!”

Sherri-lady didn’t have to tell Alex twice. Without hesitating, he ran into the tents, searching for anything valuable.

_ A cloak could be something, right?  _ He wondered as he grabbed a long, silk purple cloak. Along with that, he grabbed a handful of jewels. 

_ Three items. Three items. So I need one more… _

“Hurry up!” yelled Scherezade. Nothing in this tent looked valuable. Although Alex was extremely paranoid at the fact that he might run out of time, he ran to the next tent, grabbing a sword engraved with gems. It looked expensive, so that had to count for something, right?

Of course, this put him and Joey at a disadvantage, not knowing what they were judging the objects on, but it was fine.

Matt had never been more grateful for Joey Graceffa in his life.

Going into a challenge again made him shudder. He  _ hated  _ the thought of going in, especially against  _ Alex.  _ Right now, he was so grateful for Joey.

But the whole voting-who-dies-directly thing? Not so much.

When you were voting, it wasn’t a guarantee that they’d die. And they might’ve never known that you voted for them. But in this scenario? You had to look them straight in the face and tell them that they should die.

So when Scherezade came calling to Alex and Joey, Matt wasn’t too eager for what she had in store. 

Each male carried three items. Scherezade began reading out the first prompt. “A very poor fisherman cast his net and was surprised to pull out…”

“Jewels,” Alex held out a handful of rubies and sapphires. “From the deep caves by the shore.”

Gabbie whooped. Eva clapped encouragingly. Roi gave Alex a thumbs-up.

“The most magical genie lamp,” Joey held up the lamp like it was a lost treasure. “Lost at sea for thousands of years, imprisoned by Poseidon himself.”

Matt wondered whether he should tell Joey that Arabia had very different gods from Greece, but he refrained. 

“The fisherman, to no avail, tried to appease the genie with…” said Scherezade. 

“A cloak,” said Alex. “Woven by the most respected weavers in Arabia. The purple signifies royalty.”

Gabbie, Eva, and Roi cheered. Ro seemed to be teetering back and forth. Lele crossed her arms.

_ It’s true. It does.  _ At least Matt can give Alex credit for having correct information. 

“A Ram Staff,” Joey presented confidently. “Told to appease many genies in history.”

“That one’s a little strange,” noted Saf. Gabbie nodded in agreement, 

Scherezade continued. “The genie tried to kill the fisherman but he tricked the genie using…”

“A jeweled sword,” presented Alex, a hint of worry in his voice. “Entranced with the magic of the greatest wizard in Arabia.”

Same as before. Gabbie, Eva, and Roi cheered. Rosanna and Safiya politely clapped. 

“Some sexy rope,” Joey said. “He was into some kinky stuff. And the genie loved to be tied up.”

“Oh!” Rosanna smiled. Gabbie snorted. Lele tried not to bust out laughing.

“Now, it’s time to vote,” announced Scherezade. “On whose story is the worst. Raise your hands.”

“Now, we will vote on who will die,” Scherezade snickered, her lips turned up in a twisted smile. “Alex?”

Gabbie’s hand shot up. So did Eva’s and Roi’s. As much as she loved Joey, Gabbie  _ couldn’t  _ lose Alex. But  _ Saf? Matt? Rosanna? Lele? _

“Joey?”

The latter four hands reached up. Matt, especially, looked extremely guilty. 

Then it hit her.

_ Alex is going to die. _

_ Not Alex. Anyone but Alex. Take Joey and Safiya and Rosanna and whatever but do  _ not _ take Alex. _

Her face turned pale. She looked at him, and their eyes locked, absolute terror piercing both of them.  _ This can’t be happening. This actually can’t be happening. Not Alex. Anyone but Alex. _

“I’m sorry, Alex,” Matt mumbled, shame coating his face. “He saved me.”

Alex bit his lip and looked at the group, tears welling up in his eyes. Roi looked to be in absolute horror. So did Eva.

“It’s okay,” Alex mumbled. “I’ll get to see Tyler and my friends again…”

“No, no,” Gabbie stammered, her heart beating a thousand times a minute, fear piercing her every bone. “You are  _ not  _ going to die on me.”

“Fatima, write his name down.”

The woman turned to do it, and Gabbie was frozen in shock, and she felt like the world was crumbling around her in a hazy mess as Alex’s frazzled face turned to one of terror.

“You wrote  _ my name?!”  _ Scherezade screeched, and mounds of people came and stabbed her. Gabbie looked on in shock.

_ He’s alive. He’s actually alive. Oh my god… _

“That’s for killing my true love!” Fatima shouted, her voice a cry of rebellion. Alex ran off the stage, running into Roi’s awaiting arms, and the younger boy tackled him in a hug, before Alex hugged Eva too. Soon, he walked over to Gabbie, and she gave him a well deserved slap across the face.

“You  _ idiot!”  _ tears streamed down her face. “Do you realize what you dying would’ve  _ done  _ to me?”

He gripped her shoulders, looking into her tear-coated eyes. He was shaking. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, Gab, I just…”

“Just what?” Tears started to fall more freely now. “You should’ve fought back! And  _ done  _ something! Not just  _ accept it!” _

She collapsed against his chest, anger overwhelming her. Angry at him for almost leaving her. Angry at the stupid Sherri-lady for almost killing him. Angry at that stupid collector. 

But most of all, she was angry at herself. Angry that despite it all, she couldn’t let how she felt about him go. She  _ knew _ he was over her. But Gabbie’s heart couldn’t let go.

Alex’s arms wrapped around her, holding her tight as she cried. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”

He almost died once. And she let her feelings get before his survival. 

Never again.

Alex was not dead.

That was the good news. The bad news was that Alex was probably not going to be happy with Matt for, you know, voting him to die. Alex was saved, but Matt could be on the chopping block.

Joey grabbed the hammer of suleiman and smashed the ebony horse, letting them all go to venture to free the genie, when suddenly Saf’s hands began to flicker.

“Safiya?” Eva said.

“Guys,” she said strongly. “Survive. Matt, protect Ro. Ro, do the same.”

“Saf!” Matt ran and grabbed her arm.  _ Don’t take her from me. I’m barely sane as it is. Don’t make me lose her. _

But in a blink of an eye, she was gone. “ _ Saf!”  _ Rosanna yelled.

_ She’s fine. With Oli. I’ll see her again. _

As everyone else walked to Genie’s tent, Eva grabbed Gabbie’s hand, pulling her back. Eva carefully made sure that everyone else had gone ahead.

“Eva?” Gabbie turned to her. “What are you doing?”

“What’s going on with you?” Eva crossed her arms.

“What are you talking about?”

“You’re pushing Alex away. You’re getting angry for no reason. What’s going on with you?” She stared her friend up in down, her tone laced with concern. 

“I’m fine,” Gabbie muttered, trying to walk away.

“You’re not,” Eva said stubbornly. “What is up with you and Alex? Why aren’t you guys normal around each other?”

Gabbie didn’t respond. She wouldn’t meet Eva’s eyes. The Journalist finally realized what was going on.

“You’re still in love with him, aren’t you.”

Gabbie sighed. “So what?”

“What do you mean, so what? So what that my two best friends are in love with each other?”

“Eva, we’re not you and Oli!” yelled Gabbie. “You don’t understand! We’re not some fairytale romance. We’re not a romance at all.”

“What are you talking about?” Eva gripped her hand. “You’re you and Alex.”

“There was never  _ supposed  _ to be a ‘me and Alex’! It was supposed to be him! And Lauren! It’s not me and Alex, and I never will be.”

“You’re making excuses,” said Eva. “You’re pushing him away for no reason.”

“No reason?!” Gabbie yelled. “I’ve got plenty of reasons. There’s you and Oli. There’s Lauren. There’s our mission. There’s  _ death.” _

“I think you’re scared, Gabbie. I think you’re not letting yourself be happy.”

“I-I’m  _ fine,  _ Eva.”

“You’re not.”

“Why don’t you trust me?”

“Because you’re lying to yourself! You’re taking away your own happiness!”

“I’m  _ fine,  _ Eva.” Gabbie’s hands clenched up.

“Gabbie-“

“I don’t want to talk to you.”

Gabbie walked after Alex, and Eva stood there, suddenly feeling as if she made a huge, huge mistake.

Of course Alex was traumatized after almost dying, but that wasn’t the point. The point was that they needed to free this genie.

After Eva and Gabbie went off for unexplained reasons, the rest of the group entered the Genie’s exhibit. The Genie stood alone, in chains, again, muttering an unknown language. His eyes lit up when he saw the hammer.

“You found the hammer,” the Genie noticed. “Free me.”

“You give us a wish and the key,” said Lele.

“If we do this.” finished Rosanna. 

The Genie nodded. “I am a man of my word. I will give you the key. Break the chains.”

Joey grabbed the hammer, yelled “hi-YAH!” and broke the Genie’s chains with a swing of the weapon. As Alex looked up, the Genie began to laugh. A very magical laugh.

“That’s not a good person laugh,” said Roi. 

“That’s an evil laugh,” Rosanna agreed. 

“Give us the key!” Joey said strongly, reaching out his hand. 

“I will give you the key,” the Genie responded, handing over the key. And in that moment, someone else came running in. SAE outfit. Multicolored hair.

Gabbie.

She looked even more tired out than when he talked to her. She stumbled and her eyes were downcast, exhausted.  _ Is she okay? _

“Gabbie!” said Matt and Lele in unison. 

“Are you alright?” Alex asked as Gabbie stood as far away from him as possible.  _ Is she still mad at me?  _

Before anything else could happen, Lele remembered the wish. “What about the wish, mister?” She asked. 

“I will grant you the wish,” said the Genie. “But I know better than to leave it open-ended. I will return one of your friends from the dead.” Everyone gasped.

_ A revival?  _ Alex was shocked. He had one person in his mind. He needed them back. 

“Guys?” Roi popped up. “I think I know what we should do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You thought this was sad? You’re funny. That’s hilarious. I’m laughing. Can’t you tell?


	9. Darkness Rises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I’M SORRY. I’M SORRY. I’M SORRY.

After a long while of arguing over who should go back, Eva made her decision. 

It was hard. Guilt haunted her every move. But she had to choose. 

_ Why didn’t I pick Nikita?  _ She wondered.  _ Why didn’t I pick Liza? _

Because the person she chose was close with Alex. Close with Lele. The person she chose had haunted her every day of her life. 

So when a female pirate marched in, screaming like a lunatic, the exact person she chose had a knife to his throat.

Timothy DeLaGhetto.

“Tim!” Lele, Gabbie, and Eva shouted in unison. Rosanna’s eyes bugged out.  _ Tim? Is that really him? _

“Tim!” Alex yelled.  _ Oh, thank god.  _ As much as he missed Matt and Liza and Nikita and Bretman and Colleen, he had hoped it would be Tim. The guy wasn’t the most helpful, but he kept them all afloat. He was the heart and soul of the group. Alex had missed him more than anyone else that night.

But back to the pirate holding a knife to his throat.

“Back up!” The lady yelled. “I swear to god! I’ll cut his throat!”

“No!”

“No!”

“No, please don’t do that!” Rosanna cried.

Tim looked honest to god  _ terrified.  _ “Uh, guys?” He stammered. “Can you help me out here?”

“Let him go!” Yelled Roi.

“Are you working for Rorik?” The lady hissed.

“Ror-ik?” Rosanna sounded out, confused.

“Tall, terribly handsome.”

“He was just here!” Joey insisted.

The lady practically spat. “You’re working for him! Who is the captain! Step forward, who is your leader.”

Rosanna pushes Joey forward. He basically shook with fear. “Sort of…”

“Joey, Joey, Joey!” Lele encouraged.

“You’re not working with Rorik?” The lady asked. 

“No! He tried to kill us!”

“I need you to swear an oath.” The lady spat on her fingers.  _ Uh, ew.  _ Joey looked disgusted. “I swear on a Pirate’s Boat if I change my words than I’ll cut her throat!

_ Why is everyone here so violent?  _ “Do I have to spit?”

“Repeat it after me!”

“But do I have to spit?”

“Joey, please spit, dude,” Tim tried not to glare. Joey huffed. 

“I swear on a pirates boat… if I change my words than I’ll cut his throat.”

Hesitantly, the lady released Tim, who fell back on Joey. Alex ran to hug him. Roi and Lele got there first, hugging the living daylights out of the Con Man.

“Oh, Tim,” Lele hugged him. “I never thought I’d be so happy to see your stupid face.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” he grinned. 

After Alex hugged him (by god, he missed that guy), Gabbie was standing there. She stepped away. Wouldn’t meet his eyes. It was unlike her.

_ Did I do something? _

“Out of the coldness of my black heart, I’ve decided you can have the key.”

_ Oh, how gracious. There’s a catch, isn’t there? There’s always a catch. _

“But one of you must die for crossing my path.”

_ Oh. Of course.  _ What else did Gabbie expect? Decent ness? Non-douche bag ness?

“Of course,” Joey sighed.

“Oh no.” Worried Rosanna.

“So all of you must take the pirate’s test,” Rorik sneered. “And the last one through will be shot!”

The pirates laughed. Gabbie flipped one off. “You four are already pirate worthy,” Rorik pointed to Gabbie, Eva, Lele, and Rosanna, who were all wearing pirate rings.  _ Huh. All the girls. Coincidence?  _ “You’ve got the rings!”

“Oh, that!” Said Rosanna. Lele had a smug expression on her face.

“Give me the key!” Yelled Rorik.

“Don’t give it!” Joey hissed. 

Rorik sneered at Roi. “Give me the key!”

“Okay, okay!” Roi yelled, placing the golden key in Rorik’s hand.  _ You idiot! _

“We’ll be outside waiting for the rest of ya,” sneered Rorik.

——————————

Roi lost. A slingshot screwed him over.

_ Oh god. Oh no. Not Roi. Anyone but Roi… _

His mind flashed back to when he made that promise to himself hours ago. He  _ promised  _ he’d save Roi and Eva. He  _ promised.  _ He couldn’t let that down.

Even if it cost him his own life.

“No,” Alex stepped forward, onto the dock, dead in front of Rorik. “Take me instead.”

“Nah,” Rorik sneered. “You are more pirate worthy than him.” He pointed to Roi.

“I said,  _ no,”  _ Alex moved a step closer. Roi turned pale. Joey and Matt glanced at each other. Tim bit his lip. “Let him go. Let him live. I’ll die instead.”

“Alex, What are you doing?” Roi asked, his voice cracking.

“Making sure you get out of here.” He was terrified. He didn’t  _ want  _ to die. But if it meant that Roi and Eva and  _ Gabbie  _ would live, so be it. 

“Hm,” Rorik cocked his head. “A  _ true  _ pirate would never be as soft as you.” He gestured to Roi. “Let him go.”

Roi walked to the solid ground. He gripped Alex’s arm.

“Please don’t do this,” he whispered, his voice cracking with pain. Alex shook his head.

“You’re not going to convince me to say no,” Alex stared him dead in the eyes.  _ “Get out.  _ For me. Okay?”

Roi, after a full minute of convincing and a glare from Rorik, nodded tearfully. “I will.”

“Tell Gabbie I love her,” Alex whispered.

Alex walked to the edge of the dock. He felt oddly calm.  _ It’s okay. Roi and Eva and Gabbie will get out. They’ll see Oli and Matt and Saf again. It’s okay. _

Rorik positioned his gun at Alex’s chest. He thought of Tyler. Of Lauren. Of Liza and Tana and Andrea and Manny and Bretman and all the others.  _ Hey guys. I’ll see you all soon. _

“Send me regards to the devil,” Rorik sneered. Alex took a deep breath. 

_ Gabbie, I love you. _

Shots rang out and pierced his chest like arrows. He fell back into the crisp water, and as he relaxed into death, his last thought was of her.

“Guys!” Joey yelled. Gabbie whipped around. It was Joey, Roi, Matt, and Tim.

That was it.

_ Oh god… that means… _

No. He was  _ not _ dead. He couldn’t be. He would be back any minute. There was a plot twist. Like last time. He was coming.

“Where’s Alex?” Eva asked for her.

“Where is he?” Rosanna echoed.

“He’s… he sacrificed himself. So I could live.” Roi stammered. Gabbie’s heart dropped. She couldn’t believe this. _ No. He promised he wouldn’t leave me, he promised he’d come back, he promised… _

Her mind flashed back to an hour before, to the witches challenge, the funhouse… every time, a smile on his face and reassuring words, those stupid dimples on his cheeks and his arms around her. That boyish grin and eyes like oceans. 

_ Liza… Lauren… Colleen…  _

She would’ve traded any one of them for Alex. She would’ve traded everyone in this hellhole for him. 

He was still not back.

The harsh reality began to sink in.  _ He’s dead.  _ Her arms felt like a thousand pounds.  _ He’s gone. He’ll never know how much I love him. _

Tears streamed down her face. The world felt like a blur. 

When Matt faded away, she was too broken to care.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RIP Alex. I love you. Please scream at me. I’m sorry.


	10. Broken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I am extremely sorry for what you are about to read.

Gabbie cried.

It was all she could do. Numbly, submissively letting quiet tears stream down down her cheeks. Clenching her own hand and holding herself because he wasn’t there. The absence of his voice was deafening. The absence of his presence made her feel empty, lost, broken, in a way she’d never felt. Not after Liza. Not after Colleen. Not after Oli. Not after Lauren or Ro or Tim. She’d been sad, sure, but she’d never felt the despair and horror she felt right now. She’d never felt like the world was collapsing and she was collapsing with it. 

His voice rang in her ears. The last words he ever said to her. “ _ Are you alright?”  _ She didn’t care. She threw him away. She didn’t talk to him at all for an hour of this hellhole and now she’d never be able to say a word to him again. So many things she wanted to say.  _ I’m sorry. I love you. Why’d you leave me? Why’d you do it? Do you know how much you mean to me?  _

Little memories flashed across her mind. From when she met him two and a half years ago, to the first part two years ago and the one last year. 

_ “You didn’t do anything wrong, but you didn’t do anything right.”  _

_ “Alex!” _

_ “Why are you so nice to me? I let Joey kill your best friend.” _

_ “Everyone deserves a second chance.” _

_ “Let’s go home.” _

_ “Do you want to dance? As friends, I mean.” _

_ “I got you.” _

_ “You know everyone thinks we’re a couple.” _

_ “Oh shit I’m in love with Alex!” _

_ “FINE! You got me. I like her. Are you happy now?” _

_ “I love you.” _

_ “I love you too.” _

_ “I know I’m going to regret this later, maybe even in a few seconds. But just… let me… I want… I want this.” _

_ “I’m in love with you.” _

_ “All night, and all these past few months, I’ve been treating myself like shit because I’m in love with you and I shouldn’t be!” _

_ “I love you, Alex. And I do want to be with you. But not now. Not here. I want to be together when we’re happy and safe.” _

_ “I’ll wait for you.” _

_ “You know, I like this. Just having fun. Without having to worry about death or romance or anything.” _

_ “You’re still in love with him, aren’t you.” _

_ “There was never supposed to be a ‘me and Alex!’ It was supposed to be him! And Lauren! It’s not me and Alex, and it never will be.” _

She never knew if he returned what she felt. She never knew if he still loved her. Maybe she was mourning something that was never there. Maybe they never had anything at all.

But he was still gone. Alex, with his dimples when he smiles and his goofy brown eyes and a laugh that lights up the whole room. A voice like a singsong melody. A person. A home. A love.

For who? For her? For Lauren? For everyone who had ever crossed his path? She’d had the blessing to know him, to love him from afar for  _ years  _ and yet she pushed him away when she needed him the most. She could’ve told him how much she loved him and how much he meant to her but no, she shoved him away like he was dirt.  _ Did he die thinking I hate him? _

Gabbie didn’t know. She didn’t know why he did what he did. She didn’t know why she had agreed to come on this mission. She didn’t know anything. All she knew was that he was gone. And she would never see him again.

———————————————-

Matt couldn’t say he wasn’t relieved when he faded back into safety. Back in the woods with Jael and Ryu and Oli and Saf. He was happy to be back.

He was not relieved to find out he had to break the awful news.

Sure, he wasn’t as close with Alex as Gabbie or Eva or Oli, but he was his friend. His survivor buddy. The one who helped him with trauma. And he couldn’t shake the feeling that Alex’s death was Matt’s fault.

And on top of all that,  _ he  _ was the one who had to break the news to Alex’s best friend? Matt was the only one who knew. And it wasn’t fair to keep that information from Oli and Saf.

Oli had seemed to have gotten into this rhythm. He welcomed Matt back, but the former Big Game Hunter’s first question punched him in the gut.

“Did anyone… you know?”

Matt froze, and quietly nodded, guilt and sorrow already overwhelming him.

“Who?” asked Saf, a glint of fear in her keen eyes. They both stared at him, waiting intently for an answer.  _ Just tell them, Matt. Just do it. _

His eyes squeezed shut. “I’m sorry…” he covered his face with his hands. “I’m so sorry… I couldn’t save him…”

Oli’s eyes flashed with fear. “No. You’re not talking about...?”

Matt solemnly nodded, hanging his head. Safiya’s eyes widened. Oli covered his mouth with his hands.

“Oh god… oh no…” Oli’s voice broke, tears clinging to his throat. “How? Why?”

“He died a hero, Oli,” said Matt in a vain attempt to comfort him. “He sacrificed himself to protect a friend.”

Matt didn’t know if his words hurt or helped. Oli collapsed in on himself, tears falling down his pale cheeks. Safiya rubbed his back while he cried.

“And- and Eva? Gabbie? Are they safe?” 

“Yes,” Matt said gently. “They’re okay.”

This seemed to calm Oli a bit, but the tears didn’t stop falling. The memory of losing Ro overwhelmed him, but he pushed it away.

———————————————-

Lele grabbed the note and began to read.  _ “This Egg has been returned and civilization found a way. With the ritual from the sacred hollow, you can now command a Cursed God to release the jeweled key from its clutches. However, to enact the ritual, two must be selected by vote to enter the raptors’ feeding pit and gather the objects required.” _

Tim groaned. “Man, do we really have to do this shit again?”

Rosanna sighed. “Of course. Of course.”

“I think we all know how this goes,” said the Sorceress. Eva still didn’t trust her, but what can you do? Alex’s death had sucked the energy straight out of her. She didn’t have time to be suspicious. 

“Who’s gone into a challenge?” asked Joey. Lele, Roi, Tim, Gabbie, and Joey raised their hands. Eva’s and Rosanna’s were the only ones who stayed down.  _ Even though I did Russian Roulette, the Gauntlet, the Dark Dimension Challenge, and the Witches Challenge,  _ Eva grumbled to herself.

“It does seem fair to send Ro and Eva in…” said Tim, before Lele elbowed him. “Or not.”

“No, they should go in,” said Joey stubbornly. “It’s only fair.”

“I think Eva’s been through enough?” said Lele. “She’s been away from Oli all night and her best friend just died.”

“She still hasn’t gone in.”

“Seriously, Joey?” Eva finally piped up. “After everything I’ve done with you and for you?”

Joey looked away. “It’s only fair.” He said again.

Roi said nothing. Rosanna sighed. Lele grunted. Tim looked off. 

“Let’s just get this over with.” Said Roi. 

“I’ll go first,” said Lele, who walked over to the rock and jabbed her finger at an unknown card. Tim, Roi, Rosanna, Gabbie, Joey, and Eva followed. As she returned to her seat after hesitantly picking a Savant card, Eva’s eyes glanced at Gabbie. They had barely spoken the past two hours. It felt like she had not just lost one best friend, but two.

The Sorceress drew one, and Eva’s hands dug into her palms. 

“...The Journalist.”

Her name hit her like a ton of bricks. She felt this coming, but some part of her was hoping Joey would come to his senses. But no. She was going in. Again. To become the raptors’ meal.

The Sorceress drew another card, and all Eva could do was hope and pray that it wasn’t Lele or Gabbie. 

“...Gabbie.”

Her world stopped.  _ Gabbie.  _ She knew the girl probably hated her, but in Eva’s eyes, she was still her best friend. Still Gabbie, the feisty girl who supported her through all these nightmares. One of them was doomed to die. Like Oli once did. Like Alex.

Gabbie’s expression was bleak. Roi’s face twisted into one of deep contemplation, on the verge of guilt. Lele crossed her arms in anger.

“It’s time to go,” said the Sorceress. Eva ran to Lele and hugged her tightly.

“You got this, alright?” Lele whispered. “I’ve seen you win before, Eva. You can do it again.” 

Eva nodded, trying not to think about what the cost of winning would be. Gabbie and Eva said their goodbyes as the knot in her stomach tightened.

“Bye, guys,” said Eva. 

“Bye,” repeated Gabbie. 

“You got this!” encouraged Lele as the Sorceress guided the two away, Eva looking back wistfully.

“Good luck, guys!” Rosanna called. The Sorceress led them down a path, undoubtedly to the raptors’ pit, and began instructing them.

“We’ll need to get you changed for what lies ahead,” said the Sorceress.  _ Changed? Like the Circus? Like the Strong Man Challenge?  _ Eva winced.

The Sorceress led them behind a clump of rocks, laying out two outfits. They were solid fur with a small, thin belt.  _ What animal is this? _

“Change quickly, please,” urged the Sorceress. “We don’t have all night.”

Eva refused to get fully changed, so she took off her jacket and trousers and put on the fur attire behind a rock. This wasn’t the ideal situation in any way, but she had to go with it. 

When Eva turned around, Gabbie stood there, looking beautiful but still with a broken look in her eyes. One of them was going to die. Either way, Eva had to apologize.

“Gabbie,” Eva grabbed her hand. “I just… I want to say I’m sorry. You’re still my best friend, okay?”

Gabbie looked down, squeezing the Journalist’s hand. “It’s okay. And I’m sorry too.”

The two walk down toward the pit, and it didn’t matter how cute Gabbie’s outfit was. One of them was going to die. After Alex. She’d be alone, all alone, if Eva was gone. She’d never be able to live with herself.

Lele gave a round of applause as if this was a fashion show. Rosanna clapped politely. Tim and Roi stared at them with strange looks on their faces. Eva pulled out a note and began reading.

_ “To perform the sacred ritual, you must gather a brain, a heart, and an eyeball. And place them one by one in your basin, then chant the spell. The first to do so will receive the key, and the other will be devoured.” _

_ Oh no. Oh god.  _ It was exactly what she had feared. One of them would become the dinosaur’s meal. 

“Are you  _ serious?”  _ Said Eva. “The pool looks like blood!”

“Ugh,” Gabbie gagged. The pool of water was, in fact, the exact color of blood. Skulls scattered around it. She didn't want to go in there, and yet it had to be done.

“Are you two ready?” asked the Sorceress.

“As ready as we’ll ever be,” answered Eva. “Good luck, Gab.”

“Good luck,” Gabbie responded. The two were off. She dove into the water, trying to find anything that seemed like it would be a heart, a brain, or an eyeball.

_ “You didn’t do anything wrong, but you didn’t do anything right.” _

Nothing. All she could feel was sewage and blood and bones.

_ “Alex!” _

“Oh god,” groaned Eva. “There’s nothing in here!”

_ “Why are you so nice to me? I let Joey kill your best friend.” _

_ “Everyone deserves a second chance.” _

She didn’t even know what was under her feet. Her hands rummaged in the water for absolutely  _ anything  _ but she was left empty-handed. 

_ “Let’s go home.” _

“I found one!” Eva yelled. A thick skull was grasped in her hand. “I got the brain!”

_ “Do you want to dance? As friends, I mean.” _

“Woo!” yelled Lele. “Go Eva!”

Gabbie’s hand brushed up against something.  _ What is that?  _ To her surprise, it was an actual heart, which was hella gross, but she tossed it in her basin.

_ One down, two to go. _

_ “I got you.” _

“This is so gross!” Eva yelled. “Ack!” she managed to grab a heart, which sent fear down Gabbie’s spine.  _ She needs one more. If she gets one more, I’m dead. _

_ “You know everyone thinks we’re a couple.” _

Her mind couldn’t focus. He was there. He was there, in the back of her mind, a face and a voice that she couldn’t brush away, clogging her thoughts.

_ “Oh shit I’m in love with Alex!” _

She felt almost paralyzed, her body moving but her mind standing still as she tried to brush him away. 

_ “FINE! You got me. I like her. Are you happy now?” _

_ Can he see me? Is he up there somewhere? _

Eva popped out of the water, an eyeball grasped in her hand, and Gabbie’s heart dropped.

“Gabbie, I’m so sorry,” Eva’s eyes seemed to fill with tears. “I’m so, so sorry. I don’t want to do this.”

_ I lost. _ It hit her like a stack of bricks.  _ I’m about to die. _

There was no plot twist this time. Nothing to save her. Alex was gone. So was Liza. So was Colleen. So was Tana. So were so many of her friends. 

She thought she’d feel angry or terrified or  _ anything,  _ but she was strangely numb. She’d been so close to death so many times, it felt more like a memory than a fear. This game had taken her friends from her again and again, and now, death had finally caught up to her. 

Eva leapt out of the water, tears streaming down her face. The raptors crept closer to Gabbie. 

_ “I love you.” _

She tried to run, hide, get away, but the dinosaurs caught up to her. She fell and terror pierced her as the dinosaurs started attacking their meal.

She sobbed and screamed because  _ stop please stop this hurts like  _ hell  _ I want to  _ die  _ let me go- _

Somewhere far off, Eva was screaming too. Somewhere far off, she could hear Alex’s voice. It was a whisper. He hugged her. She was safe.

_ “I love you too.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RIP Gabbie. You were incredible and one of my favorite characters ever. At least you’re with Alex now.


	11. Safe and Sound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They’ve survived, but the pain is far from over.

Eva was numb.

It was the same feeling she had when Oli died. The feeling of absolute despair silenced by disbelief and cold, hard anger. Anger at Alex for sacrificing himself. Angry at Gabbie for dying when Eva needed her the most. Angry at herself for contributing to her best friend’s death. A cold, numb-like anger at anything and everything and she had no one to turn to.

Sure, she had Lele, but she was in her own world of mourning. The once feisty Hustler-turned-Hollywood Star was losing her strength, her fire slowly being diminished by the night’s events.

Eva had never expected, not in a million years, that any of her survivor pals would ever die to one of these “Slaughterings”. And yet, in Purgatory, not just one, but two of them bit the dust. Her two best friends.  _ Dead. _

How was she supposed to tell Oli and Matt and Saf? Matt already knew about Alex, and maybe he told the other two, but Gabbie? She’d have to tell them that she let her best friend die?

Gabbie’s dying screams still rang through her head. Alex’s face wouldn’t leave the back of her mind. Two people whose deaths hit her harder than anything else these nights had thrown at her. Two people who lived remarkable lives, surviving every bullet the terrors would throw at them, until their luck ran out. Two people depriving their own happiness because of the slaughterings, the memories, and most importantly, pushing the thing that made them most happy in their lives… namely, each other.

How did they feel in their last moments? Sad? Alone? Had Gabbie given up hope? Was that why she didn’t seem to be as focused?

She tried to shake the thought away.  _ It’s Gabbie. She’s feisty and savvy and has killer survival instincts. She would never throw her life away.  _ But the thought wouldn’t leave her mind.

As they ran back into the lounge, key in hand, Eva could feel the group losing hope with every step. She wanted to be the  _ hey, we can do it!  _ person, but after the last two hours, she just couldn’t. She handed the key to Roi. She didn’t want the next threat to be on her. 

“The last key…” Joey sighed, slumping.

“This shit better be worth it,” Tim grumbled, a hint of pain in his voice. 

Roi cautiously inserted the key and twisted. Suddenly, a huge booming sound echoed throughout the museum. Everyone screamed.

The booms continued. They seemed to get farther and farther away before the faint noise of a door opening was heard. 

“I really don’t want to go see the next exhibit,” said Joey. “But I think we have to.”

“Okay!” said Rosanna. 

“Let’s go,” responded Lele.

The group cautiously walked down the all-familiar hallway, the Sorceress following, before coming to the room at the end of it. They nervously turned a corner, and a new room awaited them. It was eerily dark and strange branches covered the walls and floor, towering towards the ceiling. The group cautiously entered before Eva spotted a strange green jar… with faces inside. Sierra, DeStorm, Tana, Lauren, Teala, and Manny were all visible. Staring at her. She shuddered.  _ Is this where the rest of my friends are being kept?  _ If it was, then she needed to save them. At any cost.

The Sorceress growled. “My staff! The Collector had it all this time…”

Eva turned around. The Sorceress cackled, lifting her old staff in the air. The stick glowed with an eerie light. “I can feel my magic coming back into me!” She laughed maniacally. Eva started to get a very, very bad feeling.

“So, uh, that’s good?” Lele said.

“Yeah, now she has powers!” clapped Rosanna.

_ We might have a chance now,  _ thought Eva.  _ But we also might be killed by the Sorceress.  _

“There’s got to be something else in this room,” noted Roi. “If we’ve already found the staff.”

“This is creepy shit, man…” Tim muttered under his breath. 

“Hey guys, what is this?” said Lele. She was pointing to a small, brown book near the staff. It had a huge eye in it and seemed… important.

Suddenly, there was a loud cry from outside. Eva’s blood froze. “ _ Who dare disturb my museum?!” _

Rosanna gasped. Roi jolted. Tim fell back on Joey. The Sorceress, Eva, and Lele peered put the window and saw the Collector directly outside- her eyes blown wide with rage. 

“What do we do?” said Rosanna. 

“She’s kinda hot,” noted Tim. Lele slapped his arm.

“I’m going to go  _ talk  _ to her,” growled the Sorceress. 

The Sorceress ran outside, and the rest followed, where the Collector waited.

————————

Eva held the cosmic sphere, and suddenly, the portal opened, the same one she and Alex entered in earlier. The clear blue light seemed friendly, warm, as opposed to the menacing feeling from earlier, until she realized who she would have to face om the other side.

“We can go home!” Lele’s eyes welled up with tears. “Finally!”

Eva was reminded of the fact that Lele and Tim has been gone for  _ three years.  _ It would be very hard to explain how  _ that  _ happened. Rosanna and Roi might be explainable, but the other two?

Overwhelmed with relief, Roi ran towards the light, falling to the other side. Tim and Rosanna soon followed. Joey seemed to be set in stone. 

Lele gently picked up Eva’s hand. Their eyes locked and the blonde gave her a reassuring smile. They’d go home. This would all be over…

The two walked towards the portal, and Eva had to think about everything she’d done to get here. The last three years of her life had been spent on these nightmares, and now they were over. The adventures were over. And yet, she wondered if it was worth it. If losing Alex and Gabbie was worth getting home.

She stepped past the portal, and yet, Joey still hadn’t followed. He stood there, lips curved in an upturned smile. He didn’t move and gave no indication that he ever would.

“Joey?” Lele called. 

“Joey, what are you doing?” Rosanna said, concerned.

Eva only saw him turn back and run into the museum before the portal disappeared and she was back with Jael, Ryu, Oli, Matt, and Saf. 

“Where’d he go?” Saf wondered. 

“I don’t know,” answered Roi.  _ Joey, what did you do? Where did you go? Why?  _

Matt was worried for Joey, of course, but when he saw Rosanna, nothing else mattered.

Sure, he had seen her a few hours ago, but now, she was safe. She wouldn’t die.  _ Again.  _ He hadn’t lost her again. His soul sister, alive, safe and sound. Ro, whose death had haunted him every day if his life, safe. She could meet her godson. She could be back with Cookie and Molly and all the others. He’d never have to live without her again. 

He ran forward towards her, and she ran towards him, and it all collided together as they fell to the ground and held each other. So tightly he thought he might break. 

Saf soon ran over and joined the hug as well, and feeling the cuff on Saf’s collar and Ro’s small hand around his made Matt feel at home, finally. He’d spent a year at his house and yet only now was he home.

As everyone else embraced, Oli realized something. A certain someone was missing. Well, two someones. 

He had already known about Alex, and the news had t really sunk in until his best friend didn’t come running through the portal. But Gabbie was there, and she still hadn’t returned…

“Guys?” Oli asked, an arm around Eva. “Where’s Gabbie?”

Nobody spoke. Eva slumped, eyes far off. A dread started to fill him.  _ No… not both of them… please, no… _

All Eva could do was murmur an “I’m sorry” and Oli knew it was true. His legs felt like lead. His brain was foggy. This all felt like a horrible nightmare. Alex and Gabbie, both  _ dead,  _ both gone... how? How did it happen? He didn’t want to know. He just wanted them back...


End file.
